Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has once again strongly condemned the ongoing attacks by Israeli forces, a day after 42 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip, the worst daily toll in almost a week of deadly clashes.
In a meeting with Palestinian Ambassador Ahmed Jawad AA Rabei, on Monday, Qureshi conveyed his deepest sorrow and condolences for the innocent victims of lethal attacks by Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in Gaza and the West Bank, a statement released by his office said.
“[Qureshi has] categorically condemned IDF’s continuous and indiscriminate attacks that had resulted in martyrdom [of hundreds of Palestinians],” it added.
More than 180 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed while over 1,200 injured in violent strikes since last week.
Qureshi briefed Ambassador Rabei of Pakistan’s ongoing efforts, including his “outreach to foreign ministers of important regional countries.”
Ambassador Rabei, for his part, thanked FM Qureshi for Pakistan’s “unwavering support and steadfast policy on Palestine,” according to the statement.
During a virtual session of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Sunday, Pakistan urged the 15-member group to “hold Israel accountable for its war crimes and crimes against humanity,” asking for an “immediate halt to the use of arbitrary force against Palestinians.”
In a separate statement released by the UNSC, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Munir Akram, called on the council to “promote full implementation of relevant resolutions,” especially for the “realization of the two-state solution, a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.”
Akram added that the Palestinian cause was a legitimate struggle against an occupying power for self-determination. “We urge #SC to call Israel for an immediate halt to the use of arbitrary force; offer protections to civilians; ensure full compliance with int’l [International Law] & HR [Human Rights] laws,” he said in a Twitter post on Monday.
Pakistan also demanded that Israel be held accountable for crimes against humanity during an emergency session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday.
