ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday condemned fresh Israeli strikes in Gaza’s Khan Younis area that killed 49 Palestinians, describing it as a “mockery of humanity.”
Israeli tanks rolled back into the greater Khan Younis area after Israel ordered evacuations of some districts it said had been used for renewed attacks by militants.
The Palestinians were killed by tank salvoes in the town of Bani Suhaila and others fringing the eastern side of Khan Younis, with the area also bombarded by air, residents said.
“Such an aggressive attack within minutes of instructions given to Khan Younis refugees to evacuate is a mockery of humanity,” Sharif said in a statement. “The unarmed Palestinian refugees were not even given a chance to evacuate.”
The Gaza health ministry said the dead included several women and children and that at least 186 other people had been injured by Israeli fire.
Around 400,000 people are living in the targeted areas and dozens of families have begun to leave their houses, Palestinian officials said, adding they were not given time to get out of harm’s way before the Israeli strikes began.
The Pakistan premier said it was clear that Israeli forces were acting on “the agenda of genocide of the Palestinians.”
He reiterated Pakistan’s support for the Palestinians in their struggle for right to self-determination. “The United Nations must play its role in resolving the Palestine issue,” Sharif added.
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza in October last year, Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue at the United Nations and demanded international powers and multilateral bodies stop Israeli military actions in Gaza.
Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas after militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages in a cross-border assault on Oct. 7, 2023, according to Israeli tallies.
The death toll among Palestinians in Israel’s retaliatory offensive since then had reached at least 39,006 as of Monday, Gaza health authorities said.
Pakistan condemns fresh Israeli attack on Gaza’s Khan Younis, calls it ‘mockery of humanity’
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Pakistan condemns fresh Israeli attack on Gaza’s Khan Younis, calls it ‘mockery of humanity’
- Israeli tanks rolled back into the greater Khan Younis area after Israel ordered evacuations of some districts it said were being used by militants
- Israeli tank salvoes killed 49 Palestinians in the town of Bani Suhaila and others fringing eastern Khan Younis, with the area also bombarded by air
Pakistan praises Qatar’s ‘positive role’ on National Day, seeks deeper trade and investment ties
- Zardari says relations with Qatar are rooted in shared values, mutual respect and people-to-people contacts
- He says Pakistan sees energy, agriculture and technology as priority areas for expanding bilateral cooperation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday praised Qatar’s “positive role” at the regional and international level and called for enhanced trade and investment cooperation as the Gulf state marked its National Day, according to a statement from the presidency.
Pakistan and Qatar maintain close diplomatic, economic and security ties, underpinned by energy cooperation, labor links and growing defense engagement. Qatar hosts a large Pakistani expatriate workforce, employed mainly in construction, services, transport and security, making remittances a key pillar of the relationship.
Security ties have also expanded in recent years, with Pakistan providing military training and advisory support to Qatari forces. The two countries cooperated on security planning and personnel deployment for the 2022 FIFA World Cup hosted by Doha.
Qatar has also played a diplomatic role in the region, most recently mediating between Pakistan and Afghanistan following fierce border clashes earlier this year in which dozens of people were killed on both sides.
“Qatar’s positive role at the regional and international level is commendable,” President Asif Ali Zardari said in a message issued on the occasion of the Arab country’s National Day.
“Pakistan is keen to further expand cooperation with Qatar in trade and investment,” he added.
In his message, Zardari extended congratulations to Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and conveyed best wishes to the Qatari people, describing relations between the two countries as close, enduring and rooted in shared values and mutual respect.
He said Qatar had achieved significant development and progress under the Amir’s leadership and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties.
Zardari said Pakistan sought to deepen partnerships with Qatar in sectors including energy, agriculture and technology, while highlighting manpower cooperation and people-to-people contacts as the foundation of the relationship.
The president also expressed Islamabad’s resolve to further strengthen friendship and cooperation between the two countries, the statement said.
