ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the recent “storming” of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem 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 mosque compound on Sunday, flanked by police officials, and said he prayed there, challenging rules covering one of the most sacred sites in Islam.
The compound has been managed by a Jordanian Islamic trust called the Waqf since 1967, following the Six-Day War. Under this long-standing and sensitive arrangement, Jews are allowed to visit the site but are not permitted to pray there.
The move drew condemnations from Arab 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 ... 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 Jerusalem as its capital.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned in a statement issued Monday 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,” the statement said.
The Foreign Office urged the international community to take “immediate and concrete steps” to hold Israel accountable for its actions and to protect the religious sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Pakistan, which does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, has consistently condemned Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and the war in Gaza, and has called for the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Palestinian territory.
Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority 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 authority said a dedicated relief flight carrying 65 tonnes of canned food, 20 tonnes of dry and infant milk, 5 tonnes of biscuits and 10 tonnes 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 authority 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 since the war on Gaza began Oct. 7, 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
