Pakistan has issued a strong appeal at the United Nations, calling on the international community to act urgently to stop what it described as Israel’s “brutal and illegal war” in Gaza, highlighting the worsening humanitarian crisis and starvation driven by aid restrictions rather than food scarcity.
Addressing a UN Security Council briefing on the Middle East and the Palestinian question, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, condemned the deliberate denial of humanitarian aid to Gaza’s civilian population. He cited multiple international reports and media sources describing the situation as an unprecedented case of politically motivated starvation in the 21st century.
“Gaza is not facing a food shortage; people are starving because access is blocked,” Ahmad said. “At least 175 Palestinians, including 93 children, have died from starvation.”
He quoted the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and international publications, including The New York Times and Haaretz, which characterised the situation as a “perfect storm of suffering” and the worst example of starvation used as a weapon in modern times.
Pakistan Demands Immediate Ceasefire and Full Israeli Withdrawal
Ambassador Ahmad strongly reiterated Pakistan’s stance for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire, along with:
Full Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories
The release of hostages
Unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza
He described the conflict as a war on civilians, stating:
“Palestinians face a deadly choice: risk dying from hunger or face gunfire trying to reach aid. Over 1,200 aid-related killings have been documented.”
Ahmad emphasised that human rights are universal and non-negotiable, asserting that the world must respond to the “unconscionable suffering” of the Palestinian people. He warned that without tackling the root causes, particularly the prolonged Israeli occupation, peace would remain elusive.
Two-State Solution Remains Vital, Pakistan Says
The Pakistani envoy reaffirmed support for the two-state solution as the only viable path to lasting peace in the region. He called for the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem (Al-Quds Al-Sharif) as its capital.
He also welcomed the recent High-Level Conference on the peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and urged the international community to follow it with “concrete, coordinated action.”
“The legal, political, and moral imperative is clear,” he concluded. “Now is the time to act.”
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