Aamir Latif
16 October 2023•Update: 17 October 2023
KARACHI, Pakistan
Pakistan has intensified its diplomacy, seeking an end to the killing of civilians in Gaza and the "large-scale" displacement of Palestinians.
Islamabad's top diplomat Jalil Abbas Jilani on Monday spoke to his Iranian and Egyptian counterparts to discuss the Gaza situation "as part of efforts for a coordinated response to ongoing conflict."
“I spoke to FM (foreign minister) of Iran HE Hossein Amir Abdollahian. We discussed crises in Gaza, killing of civilians and large-scale displacement of Palestinians from their homes,” Jilani said in a post on X.
The two agreed that urgent steps were needed to prevent the conflict from escalating, and provision of humanitarian assistance.
Jilani also telephoned his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.
"We stressed preventing conflict from escalating, protecting civilians from collective punishment, starvation, and displacement," he said in a separate X post.
He assured Cairo's top diplomat of Islamabad's humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
Ten days into the conflict with Palestinian group Hamas, Israeli bombardment and blockade of the Gaza Strip has continued, with over 1 million people – almost half the total population of Gaza – having been displaced, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
Gaza is experiencing a dire humanitarian crisis with no electricity, while water, food, fuel and medical supplies are running out, as civilians flee to the south following Israeli warning to evacuate northern areas.
The fighting began when Hamas on Oct. 7 initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.
The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza has risen to 2,750, including 750 children.
In Israel, 1,300 have been killed.
