Pakistan “unequivocally condemns” Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid and halting of electricity supply to Gaza, Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Khan has said.

“We also condemn the continuing Israeli assault against the people of West Bank and Gaza, which has resulted in the tragic loss of innocent lives, including women and children,” Shafqat told a weekly briefing in Islamabad today.

“At a time when the people of Palestine are in urgent need of humanitarian relief and assistance, Israeli attempts to dismantle the operations of the humanitarian agencies including United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) are unacceptable,” he said.

The FO official highlighted that preventing aid agencies such as the UNRWA from carrying out their tasks was a “manifestation of Israel’s systematic campaign to weaponise humanitarian aid and dehumanize the people of Palestine”.

Calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in the West Bank and Gaza, protection of civilians, and unrestricted humanitarian access to those in urgent need,Shafqat also demanded that the international community “step in to end Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinians in Gaza”.