ISLAMABAD: Pakistani religious leaders, representing various faiths, on Monday appealed for an immediate end to Israel’s aggression and brutality in Gaza as fighting rages between Israel and Hamas in the besieged territory.

The war began after October 7 attacks by Hamas, whose members stormed across the border and killed 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages. Israel’s subsequent bombing campaign has killed more than 11,000 people, mostly civilians, and cut off water, electricity, fuel and food supplies to the territory of 2.4 million people.

Addressing attendees of the Palestine Conference at Lahore Cathedral Church, Pakistani religious, including Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi and Archbishop Dr. Sebastian Francis Shaw, urged the world powers to immediately play their role in ending the persecution of the oppressed Palestinian people.

Ashrafi, who is also a special representative to the Pakistan Prime Minister on religious harmony, said Saudi Arabia and the Muslim world were actively playing their role against Israeli aggression, urging the global community to step forward to end Israeli oppression in Gaza.

“If this war spreads, everyone from Lebanon to Syria will be under its influence and it will harm mankind,” Ashrafi was quoted as saying in a statement shared by his office.

The statement came hours after the UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned its operations in war-torn Gaza would shut down within two days due to fuel shortages as fighting raged between Israel and Hamas.

Aid agencies have repeatedly raised the alarm about the lack of fuel that is used to power vital services such as hospitals, which rely on generators, and for purifying and pumping drinking water.

Ashrafi called for an immediate cease-fire to stop bloodshed in the Gaza Strip so that relief operations could be started in the region.

Archbishop Shaw urged the world to raise its voice against the ongoing conflict in Gaza and called for initiatives to provide aid to the affected population.

Other speakers included Maulana Asim Makhdoom, Pastor Emmanuel Khokhar, Maulana Muhammad Aslam Siddiqui, Hafiz Kazim Raza, Maulana Asadullah Farooq, Maulana Muhammad Aslam Qadri and Maulana Mubashir Rahimi.

The religious leaders concluded with a joint appeal for an immediate cessation of hostilities, humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza, and intensified efforts to end the injustice inflicted by Israel.

They emphasized the responsibility of the UN, Europe, America, Britain and other powers to play a decisive role in resolving the crisis and bringing about lasting peace in the region.