https://arab.news/2u89y
- Visiting Palestinian delegation led by Mahmoud Al-Habbash meets DPM Ishaq Dar in Islamabad
- Pakistan reiterates support for two-state solution on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds as capital
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday reaffirmed Islamabad’s support for the people of Palestine, rejecting Israeli “aggression and war crimes” and urging a permanent ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza.
Dar made the remarks during a meeting with a four-member Palestinian delegation led by Mahmoud Al-Habbash, presidential adviser and supreme judge, who is visiting Pakistan to attend a religious conference marking the Prophet’s birth, the foreign office said in a statement.
“[Dar] reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and their just struggle for freedom, dignity & statehood,” according to the statement.
He also “firmly rejected Israeli aggression and war crimes: genocide, starvation, man-made famine, mass killings, settlements, annexations and forced displacement.”
The deputy prime minister called for a permanent and unconditional ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian aid for the besieged enclave, the statement added.
Pakistan, which does nor recognize Israel, has long backed the establishment of an independent, sovereign and contiguous Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif (East Jerusalem) as its capital, calling its support a legal, moral and religious duty.
The Palestinian delegation’s visit comes amid continuing Israeli strikes in Gaza and mounting international criticism of the humanitarian toll.
According to Gaza health officials, over 64,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in October 2023, while the United Nations has warned of acute food shortages and mass displacement across the enclave.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system said last month Gaza City was officially in famine, with hunger spreading.
Around 514,000 people — close to a quarter of Palestinians in Gaza — are experiencing famine, with the number due to rise to 641,000 by the end of September, IPC said.
It was the first time the hunger monitor has recorded famine outside of Africa.