Pakistan on Wednesday condemned Israel’s renewed hostilities in Gaza, following a US-backed ceasefire agreement, calling on the international community to take “urgent and effective” measures against the violation.

Israeli forces have killed at least 87 Palestinians, among them civilians, since the ceasefire began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and two Israeli soldiers were killed by Palestinian freedom fighters in southern Gaza over the weekend, Reuters reported. On Sunday, more than 100 air strikes were reported in Rafah and Khan Younis in the south, Jabalia in the north, and other parts of central Gaza.

While Israel accuses Hamas of initiating the hostilities with an attack on its forces in Rafah, the group has denied any knowledge or connection to the incident.

“Pakistan strongly condemns the renewed attacks by the Israeli occupying forces in Gaza, resulting in the loss of numerous civilian lives,” said a statement released by the Foreign Office (FO) today.

It noted that Israeli actions “run contrary to the spirit of the peace agreement signed in Sharm El-Sheikh in the presence of leadership from the Muslim and Arab world, [the] US, Europe, and the UN.”

The FO, in its statement, urged the international community to “take urgent and effective measures to end these violations and to ensure full implementation of the ceasefire and protection of Palestinian civilians.

“Reaffirming its unwavering support for the Palestinian people, Pakistan calls for an immediate end to Israeli hostilities and reiterates its principled position for the establishment of an independent, sovereign, viable and contiguous State of Palestine, based on pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.”

Pakistan was among the eight countries that worked with US President Donald Trump’s administration on a plan to end Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Most Americans support US recognition of Palestinian state, poll shows

Most Americans — including 80 per cent of Democrats and 41pc of Republicans — think the US should recognise Palestinian statehood, a sign that Trump’s opposition to doing so is out of step with public opinion, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

The six-day poll, which closed on Monday, found 59pc of respondents backed US recognition of a Palestinian state, while 33pc were opposed and the rest were unsure or did not answer the question.

About half of Trump’s Republicans — 53pc — opposed doing so, while 41pc of Republicans said they would support the US recognising a Palestinian state.

A growing number of countries — including US allies Britain, Canada, France and Australia — have formally recognised Palestinian statehood in recent weeks, drawing condemnation from Israel, whose founding in 1948 led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and decades of conflict.

Israeli bombardments have leveled vast swaths of Palestinian neighbourhoods in Gaza following an October 2023 surprise attack by Hamas on Israel.

Some 60pc of poll respondents said Israel’s response in Gaza was excessive, compared to 32pc who disagreed.

Trump, who returned to the White House in January, has largely backed Israel in its offensive and this month brokered a ceasefire, raising hopes that a lasting peace could be in reach.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll gave signs that the US public was ready to give Trump credit should his plan work. Some 51pc of poll respondents agreed with a statement that Trump “deserves significant credit” if peace efforts are successful, compared with 42pc who disagreed.

While only one in 20 Democrats approve of Trump’s overall performance as president, one in four said he should get significant credit if the peace holds.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online and gathered responses from 4,385 people nationwide. It had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.