ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the recent “storming” of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on Monday, saying that such actions were a violation of international law and imperil the prospects for peace in the Middle East.

Ben-Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on Sunday, flanked by police officials, and said he prayed there, challenging rules covering one of the most sensitive sites in the Middle East. Under a delicate decades-old “status quo” arrangement with Muslim authorities, the Al-Aqsa compound is administered by a Jordanian religious foundation and Jews can visit but may not pray there. 

The move drew condemnations from Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan, who both opposed Ben Gvir’s visit by saying that it was a violation of international law and could lead to a surge in tensions. 

“Pakistan unequivocally condemns, the recent act of storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli ministers, accompanied by settler groups and shielded by Israeli police,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X.

“This sacrilege against one of Islam’s holiest sites is not only an affront to the faith of over a billion Muslims but also a direct assault on international law and the collective conscience of humanity.”

The Pakistani prime minister said Israel’s “shameless actions” are deliberately inflaming tensions in Palestine and the wider region, noting that it was pushing the Middle East closer to further instability and conflict.

Sharif reiterated Islamabad’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the revival of a “credible” process for a two-state solution, that he said would lead to an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. 

In a separate message, Pakistan’s foreign office warned that the “provocative” desecration of the mosque risks igniting a “catastrophic spiral of violence” across the region.

“The world must not remain silent in the face of such systemic, illegal, inhumane, and unlawful aggression,” it added. 

The foreign office urged the international community to take “immediate and concrete steps” to hold Israel accountable for its illegal actions and to protect the religious sanctity of Al‑Aqsa Mosque.

Pakistan, which does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, has consistently condemned Israeli military actions and called for the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Palestinian territory.

The South Asian country last month used its presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to refocus global attention on the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

PAKISTAN TO DISPATCH AID CONSIGNMENT FOR GAZA

Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said it would dispatch 100 tons of humanitarian aid supplies for Gaza on Monday. The development will take place days after Israel’s military said it will open humanitarian corridors to allow aid convoys into the Gaza Strip, following an international outcry stoked by images of malnourished children in a deepening hunger crisis.

The NDMA said a dedicated relief flight carrying 65 tons of canned food, 20 tons of dry and infant milk, 5 tons of biscuits and 10 tons of medicines will depart from Islamabad as part of Pakistan’s continued support for the Palestinian people in their time of dire need.

“The consignment, organized under the patronage of the Government of Pakistan and led by NDMA, is part of a broader 200-ton humanitarian relief operation being executed through two chartered flights,” the NDMA said on Sunday.

Speaking to media on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan’s total humanitarian aid dispatched to Gaza has now reached 17 consignments, amounting to 1,715 tons.

Israel has killed more than 60,400 Palestinians in military operations since Oct. 7, 2023, as per the Gaza Health Ministry’s data. Israel says its military operations are in response to an assault by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, which the Palestinian group said was retaliation for decades of oppression by Israel. 

The Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, is staffed by medical professionals. The United Nations and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable count of casualties. Israel has disputed its figures, but hasn’t provided its own account of casualties.