<\/p>\n
As heavy Israeli bombardments continued to hit the Palestinian enclave on Thursday, Pakistan strongly condemned the \u201cindiscriminate and disproportionate\u201d use of force by Israeli authorities against the civilian population in Gaza and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.<\/p>\n
Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahrah Baloch said in her weekly press briefing that Pakistan was deeply concerned by the fast deteriorating and dire humanitarian situation in Gaza due to the \u201cinhumane blockade and collective punishment by Israeli forces\u201d.<\/p>\n
The statement comes after Israel imposed a \u201ctotal siege\u201d<\/a> to stop food and fuel from reaching the enclave of 2.3 million people, many poor and dependent on aid in response to a surprise Hamas offensive on Saturday that left 1,200 Israelis dead, according to officials.<\/p>\n In retaliatory air and artillery strikes, Israeli forces have flattened entire neighbourhoods, hospitals and schools in Gaza, killing 1,200 Palestinians since Saturday, and displacing more than 338,000. Yesterday, electricity went out after the only power station stopped working<\/a>.<\/p>\n The FO spokesperson said that the decision to cut off electricity, fuel and water supplies was \u201cunjust and should be reversed as it would severely impact the lives of millions of people in the enclave\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n The FO spokesperson said Pakistan had been constantly warning against serious consequences of Israel\u2019s \u201cescalatory and provocative actions in recent months\u201d. She said the \u201cunprecedented gravity of the situation demands urgent intervention by the international community\u201d.<\/p>\n Pakistan urged the United Nations to play a proactive role in facilitating a ceasefire to alleviate the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.<\/p>\n \u201cThe international community must work in concert for a just comprehensive and lasting two-state solution with a viable, sovereign and contiguous state of Palestine on the basis of pre-1967 borders, with Al Quds Sharif (Jerusalem) as its capital. Peace in the Middle East will remain elusive in the absence of such a solution,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Hamas fighters on Thursday fired a barrage of rockets at Tel Aviv in response to Israeli air strikes that targeted civilians in two Gaza refugee camps, the Palestinian group said.<\/p>\n \u201cEzzedine al-Qassam Brigades fired rockets at Tel Aviv in response to (Israeli strikes) targeting civilians in Al-Shati and Jabalia camps,\u201d Hamas said, referring to its armed wing, in a text message sent to journalists.<\/p>\n AFP<\/em> correspondents witnessed dozens of air strikes over 30 minutes on Thursday morning in the direction of Al-Shati camp and in the blockaded strip\u2019s north.<\/p>\n \u201cThe occupation (Israeli forces) committed massacres this morning in Al-Shati camp and Jabalia camp, leaving dozens of martyrs and injured,\u201d Iyad al-Buzum, spokesman for the Hamas interior ministry, told AFP<\/em>.<\/p>\n AFP<\/em> journalists saw at least seven dead bodies and six buildings destroyed in Al-Shati camp.<\/p>\n The United Nations said more than 338,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n \u201cMass displacement across the Gaza Strip continues,\u201d the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in a statement.<\/p>\n By late Wednesday, the number of displaced people in Gaza had risen by an additional 75,000 people from the figure given 24 hours earlier, reaching 338,934, it said.<\/p>\n In Gaza, officials reported more than 1,200 people have been killed in Israel\u2019s sustained campaign of air and artillery strikes.<\/p>\n \u201cThe number of martyrs has risen to around 1,200, and the number of wounded to around 5,600,\u201d a spokesperson for the health ministry in Gaza said.<\/p>\n OCHA said nearly 220,000 people, or two-thirds of the displaced people, have sought shelter in schools run by the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.<\/p>\n Another nearly 15,000 people fled to schools run by the Palestinian Authority, while more than 100,000 were being sheltered by relatives, neighbours and a church and other facilities in Gaza City.<\/p>\n OCHA said that around 3,000 people had already been displaced within the enclave prior to Saturday\u2019s attack.<\/p>\n The bombing campaign has destroyed or rendered uninhabitable at least 2,540 housing units in Gaza, OCHA said, citing numbers from the Gaza Ministry of Public Works and Housing.<\/p>\n Another 22,850 housing units sustained moderate to minor damage, it said.<\/p>\n The UN agency also voiced alarm at the significant destruction of civilian infrastructure damaged in the shelling.<\/p>\n Among other things, it said sewage facilities serving more than a million people had been hit by air strikes, leaving solid waste accumulating in the streets, posing a health threat.<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia\u2019s de facto ruler and Iran\u2019s president spoke by phone about the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Saudi state media said early on Thursday, their first call since a surprise rapprochement in March.<\/p>\n Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a call on Wednesday from the Iranian leader, Ebrahim Raisi, during which they discussed \u201cthe current military situation in Gaza and its environs\u201d, the official Saudi Press Agency<\/em> (SPA) said.<\/p>\n Prince Mohammed told Raisi that Riyadh is \u201ccommunicating with all international and regional parties to stop the ongoing escalation\u201d, SPA<\/em> said. Iranian state news agency IRNA<\/em> also reported on the call, saying the two men discussed the \u201cneed to end war crimes against Palestine\u201d.<\/p>\n Prince Mohammed also spoke by phone on Wednesday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during which the 38-year-old Saudi leader said he was \u201cexerting unremitting efforts through regional and international communication to achieve coordination that pushes for a halt of the current escalation\u201d.<\/p>\n Brazil, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council (UNSC), called a Friday meeting of the body to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, its foreign affairs ministry said.<\/p>\n Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister Mauro Vieira has interrupted an Asia trip to travel \u201cto New York to participate in a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, called by Brazil\u2026 to address the situation in the Gaza Strip,\u201d the ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\nRockets fired at Tel Aviv after Israeli strikes<\/h2>\n
Over 1,200 killed, 338,000 displaced in Gaza<\/h2>\n
Saudi prince, Iran president hold call on Israel-Hamas conflict<\/h2>\n
\nHe also stressed \u201cthe kingdom\u2019s firm position towards supporting the Palestinian cause\u201d, it said.<\/p>\nBrazil calls UN Security Council meeting<\/h2>\n