Israel’s siege and bombardment of Gaza is genocide of Palestinians, Pakistan Caretaker Foreign Minister

Israel’s siege and bombardment of Gaza is genocide of Palestinians, Pakistan Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbasi Jillani said in a statement on Sunday.

The foreign minister addressing the media at the Foreign Office in Islamabad said, “We also condemn the siege of Gaza which is very unfortunate […] that they have no water, health facility and food which is creating a major humanitarian crisis that can be equated with genocide.”

The statement from Pakistan comes amid the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.

With a complete blockade imposed, Israeli troops prepared on Sunday for a ground assault on the Gaza Strip.

“This is a genocide being committed by Israel against the poor people of Palestine. There is no doubt that Israel has committed aggression,” the foreign minister said while referring to the situation in the besieged territory.

FM Jillani also urged Israel to respect the international law and UN resolutions on Palestine which recognized their right to self-determination

The foreign minister said the ongoing Hamas-Israel war is a result of seven decades of illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israeli forces.

“Any attempt to equate Israel that is aggressor with that of the Palestinian struggle is unacceptable for Pakistan. Pakistan would demand that Palestinian right to self-determination must be respected,” he added.

The FM said occupied Palestinian territories must be vacated in line with the UN resolutions on a two-state solution. “Separate state status should be accepted not only by Israel but by the international community with pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital this is a consistent position of Pakistan.”

He also informed that Pakistan was also in touch with UN and international aid agencies to provide aid immediate humanitarian aid for the besieged people of Gaza.