The foreign minister also met foreign minister of other Muslim countries to gather support for the Palestinian cause
Foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi strongly condemned the attacks on Gaza by the Israeli forces and urged the international community to intervene immediately while speaking in front of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). He said that he sided with the Palestinian President’s call for an international conference and said that immediate relief aid is needed in the war zone.
“Pakistan endorses [Palestinian] President Abbas’ call for an international conference to secure a peaceful settlement,” Qureshi said.
The foreign minister said that the whole of Gaza has fallen into darkness and the only light that can be seen from the Israeli explosions. The international community must stop the appalling war crimes and provide protection to citizens of Palestine.
“As we speak, people in Palestine are being killed with impunity. Death echoes in every home in Gaza. [The enclave] is plunged in darkness literally and metaphorically; the only light is of Israeli explosions,” Qureshi said. “It is time to say enough. The voice of the Palestinian people cannot and will not be silenced. We, the representatives of the Islamic world, are here to speak with them and for them.”
“We should mobilise all possible humanitarian help for the devastated Palestinian population in Gaza and other parts of the occupied territories,” Qureshi added.
‘Hell on earth’
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Gaza as “hell on earth” for children, and appealed to Israel for rapid and unhindered aid access. “If there is a hell on earth, it is the lives of children in Gaza today,” Guterres said in front of the General Assembly.
“The hostilities have caused serious damage to vital civilian infrastructure in Gaza, including roads and electricity lines, contributing to a humanitarian emergency. Crossings into Gaza have been closed and power shortages are affecting water supplies,” Guterres added.
A combined front
Pakistan combined forces with Palestine, Sudan and Turkey to take a united stance at the UNGA session. Qureshi also met OIC foreign ministers during a dinner and members of Arab League to discuss the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“We hope the UNGA meeting will send a strong message … to end the Israeli aggression and to take concrete steps to find a solution to the Palestine issue,” said the foreign minister while addressing the dinner.