The Senate passed a resolution on Tuesday condemning Israel's "war crimes" in Palestine and calling upon the international community to take "immediate, effective and concrete steps" to save the Palestinians from the "fascist Israeli war machine".

The resolution, which was introduced by Leader of the House Dr Shahzad Waseem, was passed unanimously by the upper house of parliament.

"The Senate of Pakistan is clear that Palestine is facing nothing less than genocide, massacre and ethnic cleansing," the text of the resolution read. "Israel is an apartheid state and guilty of war crimes and settler colonialism."

It noted that Israel's bombardment of Gaza constituted war crimes because non-military targets such as residential complexes and media offices were also destroyed besides committing sacrilege in Muslim places of worship.

The Senate also expressed "deep resentment at the hypocrisy and double standards" of various countries which it said did not condemn Israeli violence and still talked about human rights "despite being complicit with the aggressor".

It also "deplored the obfuscation of facts and politicisation of the situation by a few quarters" which it said had created a "false equivalence" between the Palestinian victims and Israeli aggressors in order to justify the Israeli attacks.

The upper house of parliament also reaffirmed Pakistan's support for the Palestinian struggle, including their right to self-determination and for the two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders.

"Only a two-state solution is acceptable with total withdrawal of Israel from all occupied Arab territories including Jerusalem and the establishment of an independent homeland for Palestinians with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital," it added.

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The Senate welcomed the government's announcement that it was sending aid to Palestine to help the country deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and the medical emergency situation created by Israeli air strikes.

It urged the international community to call upon Israel to end its blockade of the Gaza strip, send aid to Palestine, deploy international observer teams, call for an end to Israeli aggression, contribute to the reconstruction and rebuilding of Gaza and initiate trials against the Israeli army for its "war crimes".

It called upon the international community to ensure that Israel followed the resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council, UN General Assembly, UN Human Rights Council and the Fourth Geneva Convention.

It also asked countries to condemn Israeli actions in Al Aqsa — the third holiest site in Islam — and demanded unfettered access for repairing the damage.

The resolution asked the international community to establish an independent protection mechanism for the protection of Palestinians and ensure that Israel was held accountable for its crimes.

It also urged the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League to intensify their efforts to help the Palestinians.

"Pakistan stands shoulder to shoulder with the struggle of the Palestinian people and we salute the valour, heroism and sacrifices of Palestinian people, including children resisting repression with grit, determination and an indomitable spirit," the resolution stated.