ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson said on Monday that Islamabad was “appalled” by an Israeli minister’s comments in which he suggested using nuclear force against Palestinians, saying it reflected the Jewish state’s intention to carry out a genocide in Gaza.
Israel’s Heritage Minister Amihay Eliyahu, asked during a radio interview on Sunday about a hypothetical nuclear option against Palestinians, said: “That’s one way.”
His comments drew sharp criticism from Middle Eastern nations Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan, and Qatar. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Eliyahu had been suspended from cabinet meetings till “further notice.”
“We are appalled by the statement of an Israeli minister threatening nuclear force against Palestinians,” the spokesperson of Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) wrote on social media platform X.
“This is a wake-up call for int’l community to the threat posed by Israeli aggression to regional peace, security & stability.”
The death toll from Israel’s bombardment on Gaza since Oct. 7 has risen to more than 9,700 people, including at least 4,800 children, according to Palestinian officials. Some officials have said one child has been killed every 10 seconds due to Israel’s military aggression.
Israel has expanded its air and ground attacks in the densely populated Gaza Strip, continuing its relentless airstrikes since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
Apart from the huge number of casualties and displacement of thousands in Gaza, the UN has warned that an outbreak of diseases in the territory is imminent as Israel continues imposing a blockade on Gaza.
Water, fuel, medicine and relief items are running low in Gaza as Israel relentlessly pounds the territory with airstrikes.
Pakistan, which does not recognize Israel or has diplomatic relations with the country, has repeatedly called for a cease-fire and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the basis of the pre-1967 borders with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital.
