Gaza | Pakistan

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Thursday said Pakistan welcomes the agreement on first phase of the Plan, including an immediate ceasefire, release of hostages and prisoners, and unhindered humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday welcomed the announcement of an agreement to end the genocide in Gaza, terming it a historic opportunity to secure lasting peace in the Middle East.

Israel has been facing damning criticism from across the globe over its relentless bombardment in Gaza over the past two years, with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and a United Nations inquiry already declaring its actions in the enclave as a “genocide”. Israel imposed a total blockade on the Palestinian enclave on March 2 after ceasefire talks broke down. In late July, it began allowing a small trickle of aid to resume, following warnings of a wave of starvation. But the aid was too little and too late to reverse the damage already done; the UN officially declared a famine in Gaza City in August. As today marks another year of the world witnessing piled up bodies in shrouds, spilt blood, shredded body parts, hungry cries for food and buildings reduced to rubble in Gaza, we take a look at some pictures that are an incriminating statement of Israel’s multiple war crimes in the enclave. A Palestinian shouts following an Israeli strike, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct 14, 2023, as fig...

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who was arrested by Israel when they intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, called out world governments for continuing to enable Tel Aviv’s genocide in the Gaza Strip after she arrived in Greece on Monday. The 45-vessel flotilla, with activists and politicians on board, left Spain last month to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, where the United Nations has warned of famine. The flotilla was intercepted by the Israeli navy, with commandos boarding the boats and arresting participants. Former Pakistani senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan was also on board and is currently in Israeli custody. In her first public comments since her release by Israeli authorities, Greta emphasised that the real story is not the interception of the flotilla, but the genocide being carried out in the Gaza Strip. “The Global Sumud Flotilla was the biggest-ever attempt to break Israel’s illegal and inhumane siege by sea,” the Swedish activist said. “It is a story of global, international solidarity, of people s...

The eight Muslim countries that worked with US President Donald Trump’s administration on a plan to end Israel’s genocide and invasion in Gaza have welcomed the “steps taken by Hamas” in this connection, the Foreign Office said on Sunday. On Friday, Hamas said it would agree to some of the terms in Trump’s plan — which was announced on Monday after a meeting between the US president and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — and seek further negotiations. While the Trump administration worked with eight Muslim countries last month to bring the Israeli invasion of Gaza to an end, reservations have been expressed from that latter’s side that the plan unveiled by the White House was not the one originally agreed upon. Nevertheless, they see Hamas’s partial agreement to the plan as an opportunity for a ceasefire in Gaza after an onslaught of around two years. “The Foreign Ministers of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, the Republic of Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the R...

The Foreign Office said on Sunday that it was actively engaged with international partners to ensure the “safety and prompt repatriation of its citizens” who had been illegally detained after Israeli forces earlier this week intercepted a flotilla heading to break the siege of Gaza and deliver aid. Those detained by Israel also include former Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan. “Through the diplomatic channels of a friendly European country, we have confirmed that former senator Mushtaq Ahmad is in the custody of the Israeli occupying forces and is safe and in good health,” the FO statement said. It added, “We have been further advised that, in accordance with local legal procedures, [former] senator Mushtaq will be presented before a court. Upon the issuance of deportation orders, his repatriation will be facilitated on a fast-track basis.” The FO said it had previously, too, coordinated the safe return of individuals who disembarked earlier. “In this context, we express our profound gratitude t...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Saturday that ceasefire in Gaza will help prevent massacre of innocent and unarmed Palestinians and realize the long-standing dream of establishing a Palestinian state.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that Palestinian group Hamas’s response to US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan “creates a window for a ceasefire and ensuring peace that we must not allow to close again”. Late Friday night, Trump told Israel to immediately stop bombing Gaza after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, but vexing issues like disarmament appeared unresolved. Subsequently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel was preparing for an “immediate implementation” of the first stage of Trump’s Gaza plan for the release of Israeli hostages following Hamas’s response. Meanwhile, the world welcomed Hamas’s positive response, with Pakistan also doing the same. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the premier said: “Alhamdolillah, we are closer to a ceasefire than we have been since this genocide was launched on the Palestinian people. Pakistan has always stood by the Palestinian people and shall always do so.” H...

• Foreign minister distances Islamabad from 20-point plan by White House; insists Pakistan’s policy on Palestine remains ‘unchanged’ • Says several states eyeing Saudi-style defence pacts; claims controversial ‘speechwriter’ was not part of ‘official UN team’ • Return of flotilla activists being negotiated through ‘European country’ in absence of ties with Tel Aviv ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday stressed that the United States was now “the only hope” after the United Nations, European Union and Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) had failed to secure peace in Gaza. Making a policy statement in the National Assembly, Mr Dar again distanced the government from US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza “peace plan”, saying it differed from a draft jointly prepared by eight Muslim countries and shared with Washington. He said the prime minister’s initial statement welcoming the plan was issued while in transit, while he was “unaware of the changes”. “Pakistan’s policy on Palestine is wha...

US President Donald Trump said early Saturday Israel must stop bombing Gaza immediately and that he believes Hamas is ready for peace after an earlier statement by the Palestinian resistance group. Hamas said it would agree to some of the terms in Trump’s plan to end the Gaza war, including releasing hostages, but avoided addressing more vexing issues like disarmament and said it would seek further negotiations. Soon after, Trump posted Hamas’ response to his Truth Social account. Trump had earlier not specified whether the terms would be subject to negotiation, as Hamas is seeking. Notably, the resistance group did not say if it would agree to disarm and demilitarise Gaza — something Israel and the US want but Hamas has rejected before. It also did not agree to an Israeli withdrawal in stages, as opposed to the immediate, full withdrawal the group demands. A senior Hamas official told Al Jazeera that the group would not disarm before Israel’s occupation of the besieged enclave ends, comments that underscored...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday that the 20-point Gaza peace plan released by US President Donald Trump was “not ours” but insisted that there was no room for politicking on the matter. Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly, Dar referred to his earlier press briefing in Islamabad and said: “I made it clear that the 20 points that President Trump made public are not ours. Changes were made to our draft. I have the record.” However, he went on to say: “This is the end result, and there is no room for politicking.” Eight Muslim and Arab countries — Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt — had held a meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly session, where the US president discussed his plan for ending the Israeli onslaught in Gaza. On Sept 29, US President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had met and, in a press conference after the meeting, announced the forme...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday rejected the altered draft of the Gaza peace agreement, clarifying that the 20 points presented by U.

Civil society and advocacy groups gathered on Thursday outside the Karachi Press Club to protest against the detention of activists aboard the Gaza Sumud Flotilla (GSF), calling on the government to demand the release of the Pakistani delegation, led by former Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan. On Wednesday, the GSF, carrying aid to Gaza in its attempt to break Israel’s blockade, was intercepted by Israeli military forces. On board the GSF were over 400 activists from 40 countries, among them a five-member delegation from Pakistan. Thursday’s demonstration, organised by the Pakistan Palestine Forum (PFF) in collaboration with the Palestine Action Coalition (PAC) and the non-profit organisation Human Rights Council of Pakistan, aimed to mobilise the public against the state’s inaction. People of all ages gathered, chanting slogans for a free Palestine. The demonstrators demanded the immediate release of the detained Pakistanis and called on the government to take concrete action against Israel. “...

Pakistan and several other countries on Thursday condemned Israel’s “dastardly attack” on the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) after its forces intercepted the flotilla heading to break Israel’s siege of Gaza and deliver aid. Hours after Tel Aviv’s move drew global condemnation, the Israeli foreign ministry posted on X that all on board the flotilla were safe would be “deported to Europe”. The statement said: “The Hamas-Sumud provocation is over. None of the Hamas-Sumud provocation yachts has succeeded in its attempt to enter an active combat zone or breach the lawful naval blockade. “All the passengers are safe and in good health. They are making their way safely to Israel, from where they will be deported to Europe.” It added that one last vessel of “this provocation remains at a distance. If it approaches, its attempt to enter an active combat zone and breach the blockade will also be prevented”. Earlier, the flotilla said that Israeli forces began intercepting the flotilla’s latest bid to reach Gaza late last ...

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Thursday strongly condemned the Israeli military’s assault on the Global Sumud Flotilla bound for Gaza, terming it “another blatant act of terrorism.

• Plan announced by White House differs from terms agreed between Trump and heads of Muslim countries • Distrust remains over proposed International Stabilisation Force • Hamas seeks changes to ‘disarmament’ clause DESPITE their misgivings with the ‘pro-Israel’ draft of US President Donald Trump’s plan to bring peace to war-ravaged Gaza, countries from the eight-member Muslim bloc may yet push for it to be accepted. Officials from Qatar and Pakis­tan have already implied — albeit diplomatically — that the plan announced by the White House was quite different from the one they signed up to in New York. But some countries — especially those in Gaza’s immediate neighbourhood — also believe they have secured key concessions, such as Trump’s refusal to recognise Israeli annexation of the West Bank and a US commitment that Palestinians will be allowed to remain in Gaza. Israel has also agreed, under the plan, not to permanently occupy the Gaza Strip. “Gaza’s reconstruction represents a major economic opportunity fo...

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday unveiled a 20-point plan for Gaza. Subsequently, eight Arab or Muslim-majority nations — Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt — “welcomed the role of the American president and his sincere efforts aimed at ending the war in Gaza”. In Pakistan, the government’s so-called approval of the plan had drawn flak from politicians, journalists and activists alike, who termed the deal a “two-state surrender’’ with the scales weighing heavily in Israel’s favour. Subsequently, signs began appearing that not everyone was happy with the draft made public by the White House. On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar seemingly distanced Pakistani decision-makers from the plan. He also made it clear in so many words that the US peace plan for Gaza would not be acceptable if the am­e­ndments — jointly pro­posed by eight Muslim co­u­n­tries — were not included. This came after Trump had previously...

• ‘This is not our document’, says Dar about White House plan; sticks to joint statement from Muslim bloc • Reveals Indonesia has committed 20,000 troops; Islamabad expected to make a decision soon • Axios claims Netanyahu negotiated changes to draft agreed between Trump, Muslim leaders • US president gives Hamas ‘three to four days’ to agree to deal; insiders say group will ‘likely reject’ proposal ISLAMABAD / WASHI­N­GTON: A day after US President Donald Trump unveiled his ambitious plan to end the war in Ga­za, signs have began to emerge that not everyone is happy with the draft made public by White House. This was evident from Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s presser on Tuesday, where he made it clear in so many words that the US peace plan for Gaza would not be acceptable if the am­e­ndments — jointly pro­posed by eight Muslim co­u­n­tries — were not included. The “document has been issued by the US”, he said, seemingly distancing Pakistani decision-makers from the plan, even though Trump has previously clai...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Tuesday that the Gaza peace agreement is being opposed for political motives, questioning whether critics wish for the killing of innocent civilians to persist.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed on Sunday the hope for “encouraging” outcomes of US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Muslim leaders in Washington earlier this week where the American head of the state presented his plan to end Israel’s invasion of Gaza. “We fully participated in the meeting on Gaza, and God willing, its encouraging results will come out soon,” he said, flanked by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar while addressing overseas Pakistanis at the High Commission in London. According to state broadcaster Radio Pakistan, he also said that Pakistan was also part of Trump-led efforts to bring peace to Palestine and end oppression against the people of Gaza. The premier also expressed distress over the situation in Gaza, which has been subjected to Israeli onslaught since October 2023, and prayed that the cruelty and barbarity being witnessed there ends soon. Trump’s meeting with Muslim leaders on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York had brought together leaders fro...