ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday condemned Israel’s attack on a school in Gaza, saying it had “crossed all limits” following international media reports of nearly 100 fatalities in what appears to be one of the deadliest strikes since the war began in October last year.
A civil defense official in Gaza informed the media that three Israeli rockets had targeted the school, which housed displaced Palestinians uprooted by 10 months of war in the area.
He also said the death toll was between 90 and 100, with dozens more wounded in the attack.
The Israeli military, however, said it had targeted an active “military facility,” adding that the strike had killed around 20 Hamas and Islamic Jihad members.
“Israel has crossed all limits with its brutal actions,” the prime minister said in an official statement. “An attack on schoolchildren is open aggression. Such barbarity is unprecedented in history.”
“The international community, including the United Nations, should take practical steps to stop Israel’s brutality,” he added.
Sharif prayed for all the people who lost their lives in the attack and expressed condolences to their families.
“We once again reiterate our demand that the Israeli leadership and security forces be brought to justice for the genocide and war crimes against Palestinians,” he continued. “Israel should be severely punished for its cruel actions.”
The prime minister also referred to the verdict of the top United Nations court earlier this year in May wherein it ordered Israel to halt its offensive of the southern city of Rafah and withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
“The International Court of Justice’s decision against Israel should be enforced,” he said.
Sharif also noted that Pakistan would continue to extend moral and diplomatic support to Palestinians on every front.
Israel launched its air and ground offensive targeting Gaza following the October 7 surprise attack by Hamas, in which nearly 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage.
The Palestinian group maintained its attack was in response to the deteriorating conditions faced by Palestinian people living under occupation.
Israel’s response was widely viewed as disproportionate by the international community, with nearly 40,000 people, mostly women and children, having lost their lives so far.
Pakistan PM condemns Israel’s Gaza school strike that killed nearly 100 Palestinians
https://arab.news/g828z
Pakistan PM condemns Israel’s Gaza school strike that killed nearly 100 Palestinians
- Sharif urges the international community to halt Israel’s war, calling its recent attack ‘unprecedented’
- He calls for the enforcement of an ICJ ruling demanding Israel cease its offensive, withdraw from Gaza
Islamabad steps up vehicle checks to boost security as 166,000 cars get electronic tags
- Authorities say over 3,000 vehicles registered in past 24 hours as enforcement intensifies
- Extended service hours introduced to push full compliance with digital monitoring system
ISLAMABAD: Authorities in the Pakistani capital have intensified enforcement against vehicles without mandatory electronic tags with more than 166,000 cars now registered, according to data released on Sunday evening, as Islamabad moves to strengthen security and digital monitoring at key entry and exit points.
The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration introduced the electronic tagging system late last year as part of a broader effort to regulate traffic, improve record-keeping and enhance surveillance in a city that hosts the country’s main government institutions, foreign missions and diplomatic enclaves.
Under the system, vehicles are fitted with electronic tags that can be read automatically by scanners installed at checkpoints across the capital, allowing authorities to identify unregistered vehicles without manual inspections. Vehicles already equipped with a motorway tag, or m-tag, are exempt from the requirement.
“A total of 166,888 vehicles have successfully been issued M-Tags so far, including 3,130 vehicles in the last 24 hours,” the ICT administration said, according to the Excise Department.
Officials said readers installed at checkpoints across Islamabad are fully operational and are being used to stop vehicles still without tags, as enforcement teams carry out checks across the city.
To facilitate compliance, authorities have expanded installation facilities and extended operating hours. The Excise Department said m-tag installation is currently available at 17 booth locations, while select centers have begun operating beyond normal working hours.
According to Director General Excise Irfan Memon, m-tag centers at 26 Number Chungi and 18 Meel are providing services round the clock, while counters at Kachnar Park and F-9 Park remain open until midnight to accommodate motorists unable to visit during daytime hours.
Officials said the combination of enforcement and facilitation was aimed at achieving full compliance with minimal disruption, adding that operations would continue until all vehicles operating in the capital are brought into the system.
The enforcement drive builds on a wider push by the federal government to integrate traffic management, emergency response and security monitoring through technology-driven “safe city” initiatives. Last month, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi reviewed Islamabad’s surveillance infrastructure and said reforms in monitoring systems and the effective use of technology were the “need of the hour.”
Authorities have urged motorists to obtain electronic tags promptly to avoid delays and penalties at checkpoints as enforcement continues across the capital.
