ISLAMABAD: Pakistan condemns fresh Israeli strikes on Gaza that have killed hundreds of people and threatened a ceasefire with Hamas, the Pakistani foreign office said on Tuesday, expressing fears about renewed regional instability.
Israel launched airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday that killed more than 300 Palestinians, including women and children, according to hospital officials.
The surprise bombardment threatened to wreck the ceasefire in place since January and fully reignite the 17-month-old war, with Israeli officials saying the operation was expected to expand.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office condemned the strikes as a “horrific act of aggression” in the holy month of Ramadan and called it a flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement.
“This horrific act of aggression, in the holy month of Ramadan, is a flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement and marks a dangerous escalation that threatens to destabilize the entire region once again,” it said in a statement.
The surprise attack shattered a period of relative calm during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and raised the prospect of a full return to fighting in a 17-month war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across Gaza. It also raised questions about the fate of the roughly two dozen Israeli hostages held by Hamas who are believed to still be alive.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress in talks to extend the ceasefire. The White House said it had been consulted and voiced support for Israel’s actions.
A senior Hamas official said Netanyahu’s decision to resume the war amounts to a “death sentence” for the remaining hostages. Izzat Al-Risheq accused Netanyahu of launching the strikes to try and save his far-right governing coalition and called on mediators to “reveal facts” on who broke the truce.
“We urge the international community to play it’s role to immediately end the violence and resume diplomatic efforts toward an immediate and lasting peace in Gaza and the Middle East,” the Pakistani foreign office said.
Israel’s war on Gaza began after Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on Oct.7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and over 200 others were taken into Gaza as hostages. The subsequent Israeli campaign killed around 50,000 Palestinians and displaced almost all of Gaza’s 2 million population, leaving the territory a wasteland.
Both sides agreed to an uneasy, six-week truce on Jan. 19 which paved the way for the release of hostages from both sides.