DHAKA, Bangladesh

Bangladesh on Sunday strongly condemned the killing of innocent civilians, including women and children, by Israeli forces and called for an immediate end to Israeli attacks in Palestine.

The South Asian Muslim-majority country also denounced "the utter disregard shown by Israel for international human rights and humanitarian laws even after the adoption of a UN resolution," according to a Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry statement.

Bangladesh played a significant role in organizing an emergency special session of the UN General Assembly on the Palestine situation and cosponsored the resolution adopted in the session held on Oct. 27 with a two-thirds majority, calling for a humanitarian truce in Gaza.

“We firmly believe that a two-state solution is the only viable way to ensure lasting peace in the region, and we reaffirm our unwavering support to the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people through the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State,” said the ministry.

Dhaka has no diplomatic relations with Israel.

The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7 has risen to 8,005, the Health Ministry in the besieged Palestinian enclave said on Sunday. The figure includes 3,342 children and 2,062 women.

Israel has heavily bombarded Gaza since Oct. 7 when Hamas carried out a surprise cross-border attack.

The army's spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, on Saturday announced "expanding its operations," moving to the "next phase of our war against Hamas."

Gaza's 2.3 million residents are also grappling with shortages of food, water, fuel, and medicine due to Israel’s blockade of the enclave. Only a few aid trucks have crossed into Gaza since the opening of the Rafah crossing point last weekend.