Pakistan demands an early ceasefire in response to its serious concern over the cruel Gaza siege.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan demanded a quick end to hostilities on Thursday in response to Israel’s “indiscriminate and disproportionate” use of force against the civilian population of Gaza.
Mumtaz Zahrah Baloch, the spokeswoman for the Foreign Office (FO), stated in her weekly press conference that Pakistan was extremely concerned about the rapidly worsening and catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza as a result of the “inhumane blockade and collective punishment by Israeli forces.”
In reaction to a surprise Hamas onslaught on Saturday that left 1,200 Israelis dead, officials said Israel enforced a “total siege” to prevent food and fuel from reaching the enclave of 2.3 million residents, many of whom are destitute and dependent on handouts.
According to the spokesperson, the decision to shut off water, fuel, and electricity supplies was “unjust and should be reversed as it would severely impact the lives of millions of people in the enclave”.
“The current cycle of aggression and violence is a sad reminder and a direct consequence of over seven decades of illegal foreign occupation, aggression and disrespect for international law, including UNSC resolutions that recognise the inalienable right to self-determination of the Palestinian people,” she added.
In order to improve the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, Pakistan asked the UN to take the initiative in negotiating a ceasefire.
“The international community must cooperate to achieve a fair, comprehensive, and long-lasting two-state solution with a Palestinian state that is viable, sovereign, and contiguous on the basis of the country’s pre-1967 boundaries, with Jerusalem serving as its capital. In the absence of such a solution, peace in the Middle East will remain elusive, she said.
NO HUMANITARIAN BREAK TO GAZA SIEGE, SAYS ISRAEL;
After the Red Cross pleaded for fuel to be allowed in to prevent overburdened hospitals from “turning into mortuaries,” Israel declared on Thursday that there would be no humanitarian relief in its embargo of the Gaza Strip until all of its hostages were freed.
In retaliation for the bloodiest attack on Jews since the Holocaust, in which hundreds of gunmen stormed into Israeli cities on Saturday, Israel has pledged to completely destroy the Hamas movement that controls the Gaza Strip.
At least 1,200 people were slain by the gunmen, the majority of whom were civilians who were shot dead in their houses or on the streets. They also took other hostages back to Gaza.
After regaining control of communities, Israeli soldiers discovered homes strewn with bodies, including those of women who had been raped and slain as well as children who had been shot and burned. This revealed the scope of the killings.
In response, Israel has so far completely besieged the enclave, which is home to 2.3 million people, and launched the most intense bombing assault in the 75-year history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, obliterating entire districts.
According to Gazan authorities, the bombing left more than 1,200 people dead and more than 5,000 others injured. The hospital generators’ fuel supply is running low due to the shut-down of the only electric power plant.
Fabrizio Carboni, regional director of the International Committee of the Red Cross, issued a statement on Thursday saying, “The human misery caused by this escalation is abhorrent, and I implore the sides to reduce the suffering of civilians.”
“As Gaza loses power, hospitals also lose power, endangering infants in incubators and senior citizens who depend on oxygen. X-rays cannot be obtained, and kidney dialysis is stopped. Without power, hospitals run the risk of becoming mortuaries.
Israel’s Energy Minister, Israel Katz, stated that if Israeli hostages were not released, there would be no exemption to the blockade.
human services to Gaza? Until the Israeli prisoners are freed, no electricity switch will be raised, no water hydrant will be unlocked, and no fuel vehicle will be allowed to enter. For the sake of humanity. And no one should lecture us on morals,” Katz wrote on social media.
NO DETERMINATION ON GROUND ASSAULT;
On Wednesday, Israel established a new unity government, including Benjamin Netanyahu’s detractors in the cabinet.
In preparation for what could be a ground invasion on Gaza, it has called up hundreds of thousands of reservists. Although the decision to invade has not yet been made, military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Hecht said early on Thursday that “we are preparing for it.”
According to Hecht, the recent overnight attacks targeted the “Nukhba Force” of Hamas, which was in charge of the attacks on Saturday. According to Hecht, Palestinian gunmen were still attempting to enter Israel through the water, and the military was still working to fortify the Gaza line.
According to Hamas media, the most recent Israeli airstrikes killed 15 Palestinians and injured several others. Israeli planes were seen severely bombing Gaza City, according to witnesses, while the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza was also the target of an airstrike, according to Gazan authorities.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Thursday as part of a regional visit to show support for Israel and work to stop the expansion of the conflict. He’ll go to Jordan as well.
Blinken will meet Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, on Friday, according to Hussein Al-Sheikh, the secretary general of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, who spoke on X.
Although Hamas, an Islamist militant organisation backed by Iran, took over administration of the Gaza Strip in 2007, Abbas’ Palestinian Authority still enjoys some degree of autonomy in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
LETTER TO IRAQ;
The battle has upset regional politicians’ plans because it broke out as Israel was about to agree to normalise relations with Saudi Arabia, the richest Arab nation, and months after Riyadh reestablished ties with its nemesis and Hamas backer Iran.
Tehran has praised the Hamas strikes but has refuted responsibility.
President of the United States Joe Biden stated that Iran, which supports Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah organisation, should be signalled by the United States’ moving military ships and aircraft closer to Israel. “We made it clear to the Iranians: Be careful,” Biden stated.
ALL OF US ARE SOLDIERS IN ISRAEL.
Israel’s leaders established a unity cabinet on Wednesday, vowing to put their acrimonious political differences aside and concentrate on the war against Hamas.
After assembling a war cabinet solely dedicated to the conflict, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and moderate opposition leader Benny Gantz spoke live on Israeli television.
“Our partnership is not political, it is a shared fate,” Gantz stated. “At this time we are all the soldiers of Israel.”
According to Netanyahu, Israel’s leadership and people are one. “We have put aside all differences because the fate of our state is on the line,” he stated.
Others in the busy beach strip looked for bodies in the rubble as the overworked Palestinian rescuers.
One man yelled out as he and others searched the steps of a building damaged by missiles for anyone trapped while using torches. “I was sleeping here when the house collapsed on top of me,” he said.
According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the enclave, almost 65% of the 340,000 people who have been forced to flee Gaza’s 2.3 million residents because of the conflict have sought refuge at shelters or schools.
After 38 years of occupation, Israel evacuated its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005. Since Hamas took over the enclave in 2007, Israel and Egypt have imposed an embargo on the region, which Palestinians claim has led to terrible conditions.
With food in Gaza in short supply, Washington claimed it was in discussions with Israel and Egypt on a safe exit for civilians.
