KARACHI: Pakistan has agreed to host 15 Palestinian prisoners freed under a ceasefire deal that was reached between Israel and Hamas on Jan. 15 to end the Gaza war, a Hamas spokesperson said on Monday, describing Pakistan as an “elder brother.”
A six-week initial ceasefire phase, which ended 15 months of war, includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from central Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza.
Among key components of the deal is that Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages, including all women (soldiers and civilians), children, and men over 50. In exchange, Israel will release 30 Palestinian detainees for every civilian hostage and 50 Palestinian detainees for every Israeli female soldier Hamas releases.
Dr. Khaled Qaddoumi, a spokesperson of Hamas, told Arab News Israel has so far released nearly 180 Palestinians and some of them have traveled to Egypt to settle there, while several Muslim countries, including Egypt, Turkiye, Algeria, Malaysia, Pakistan and Indonesia, have expressed their willingness to host these prisoners.
“We have officially received confirmation that Pakistan has agreed to receive 15 prisoners. For this, we are deeply grateful to the Pakistani government, the Pakistani people, and the Pakistani establishment,” Dr. Qaddoumi told Arab News.
“Alhamdulillah, it has been proven that Pakistan is not just a brother but an elder brother, with a spiritual connection that has always stood with Al-Quds.”
Pakistan has not yet officially commented about hosting Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel.
The development came after Quds Press, a Palestinian news agency considered close to Hamas, reported that 99 Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel had been deported to Egypt, with 263 expected to be freed by the completion of the first phase of the release process.
It came in the backdrop of negotiations on an agreement for the second phase of the deal, which will see the release of remaining Israeli hostages and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Palestinian territory – encompassing the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem – has been occupied by Israel since 1967.
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters.”
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, the South Asian country has dispatched several relief consignments for Gaza, besides establishing the ‘Prime Minister’s Relief Fund’ that aims to collect public donations for the war-affected people.
“Just as this nation, its people, and this country [Pakistan] have always expressed solidarity with Palestine and remained committed to their promises, Alhamdulillah, they continue to uphold them,” Dr. Qaddoumi said.
“Thank you to the Pakistani people, Pakistan’s leadership, and the country itself.”
The war on Gaza began after about 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken to Gaza as hostages when Hamas attacked Israel in Oct. 2023. The attack triggered a massive Israeli military offensive in Gaza, which has killed more than 47,000 Palestinians, the Hamas-run health ministry says.
The war has also led to widespread destruction in the densely populated territory, where thousands of schools, houses and hospitals have been destroyed by relentless Israeli bombardment.
Pakistan to host 15 Palestinian prisoners freed under Gaza ceasefire deal — Hamas
https://arab.news/4pddd
Pakistan to host 15 Palestinian prisoners freed under Gaza ceasefire deal — Hamas
- Hamas spokesman Dr. Khaled Qaddoumi says Israel has so far released nearly 180 Palestinians and several Muslim countries have offered to host them
- Since the beginning of Israel’s war, Pakistan has dispatched several relief consignments for Gaza and established a special fund for war-torn Palestinians
Pakistan condemns Sudan attack that killed Bangladeshi UN peacekeepers, calls it war crime
- Six peacekeepers were killed in a drone strike in Kadugli as fighting between Sudan’s army and the RSF grinds on
- Pakistan, a major troop contributor to the UN, says perpetrators of the attack must be identified, brought to justice
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday extended condolences to the government and people of Bangladesh after six United Nations peacekeepers from the country were killed in a drone strike in southern Sudan, condemning the attack and describing it as a war crime.
The attack took place amid a full-scale internal conflict that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group, following a power struggle after the collapse of Sudan’s post-Bashir political transition.
Omar Al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan for nearly three decades, was ousted by the military in 2019 after months of mass protests, but efforts to transition to civilian rule later faltered, plunging the country back into violence that has since spread nationwide.
The drone strike hit a logistics base of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan state, on Saturday, killing the Bangladeshi peacekeepers. Sudan’s army blamed the RSF for the attack, though there was no immediate public claim of responsibility.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the attack on @UNISFA in Kadugli, resulting in the tragic loss of 6 Bangladeshi peacekeepers & injuries to several others,” the country’s permanent mission to the UN said in a social media message. “We honor their supreme sacrifice in the service of peace, and express our deepest condolences to the government and people of #Bangladesh.”
“Such heinous attacks on UN peacekeepers amount to war crimes,” it added. “Perpetrators of this horrific attack must be identified and brought to justice. As a major troop-contributing country, we stand in complete solidarity with all Blue Helmets serving the cause of peace in the perilous conditions worldwide.”
According to Pakistan’s UN mission in July, the country has deployed more than 235,000 peacekeepers to 48 UN missions across four continents over the past eight decades.
Pakistan also hosts one of the UN’s oldest peacekeeping operations, the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), and is a founding member of the UN Peacebuilding Commission.
More than 180 Pakistani peacekeepers have lost their lives while serving under the UN flag.
Pakistan and Bangladesh have also been working in recent months to ease decades of strained ties rooted in the events of 1971, when Bangladesh — formerly part of Pakistan — became independent following a bloody war.
Relations have begun to shift following the ouster of former Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina last year amid mass protests.
Hasina later fled to India, Pakistan’s neighbor and arch-rival, creating space for Islamabad and Dhaka to rebuild their relationship.
