ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government on Thursday “strongly condemned” the killing of 33 Palestinians by Israeli forces in recent airstrikes on Gaza, asking Tel Aviv to respect its cease-fire deal with Palestine.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, at least 33 people, including six children, have been killed and 147 injured since the Israeli forces started air raids on Gaza City on May 9. The stated objective of Israel’s attacks was to target Palestinian Islamic Jihad, though several civilians lost their lives in them.
On May 13, Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad reached a cease-fire agreement to end five days of airstrikes in the conflict-ridden city, though tensions continue to simmer under the surface.
“Pakistan has been closely following the developments in Gaza and other Occupied Palestinian Territories and is concerned about the impact of violence on the civilian population,” Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during her weekly press briefing.
“We strongly condemn the loss of precious lives of more than 33 Palestinians, including women and children, over the last several days and pray for the recovery of those injured,” she continued, adding that Pakistan called on
Israel to adhere to its international obligations and respect the recent cease-fire agreement by ending days of bloodshed and indiscriminate use of force in Gaza.
Pakistan has consistently followed the policy of not extending diplomatic recognition to Israel.
The spokesperson reiterated Pakistan’s “support for the Palestinian cause” and renewed its call for a viable, independent, and contiguous Palestinian State, with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
She added it was the “only just, comprehensive, and lasting solution” to the Palestinian question since it was in accordance with the relevant United Nations and Organization of Islamic Cooperation resolutions.
