New York (Web Desk): Pakistan has urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to take immediate action to stop Israel's military assaults on Gaza and to push for a permanent and uninterrupted ceasefire in the region.
During a discussion about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Munir Akram strongly condemned Israel’s latest escalation, including its renewed bombardment of Gaza and its systematic blockade of humanitarian assistance.
He said that over 90% of Gaza’s population is at risk of starvation due to Israel's blockade, and innocent newborns are dying because of the ongoing situation.
"Civilian structures – hospitals, schools, and mosques – are being destroyed on the pretext of targeting combatants, and every principle of international law, including international humanitarian law, has been violated," Ambassador Akram said.
Ambassador Akram further expressed his dismay, stating, "Israel has vowed to continue the slaughter irrespective of its consequences for Palestinian civilians. It is doing so with impunity – knowing well that the world, and this Council, will be deterred from taking any action to enforce its resolutions calling for a ceasefire and an end to the mounting atrocities."
The Pakistani envoy warned that Israel’s actions in Gaza are part of a larger, systematic campaign, which includes “daily military raids, settler violence and illegal land annexations” in the West Bank.
These acts, he argued, represent a clear attempt to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from their land.
"The Security Council, and the world community, cannot sit back and watch this ongoing ethnic cleansing," Akram said.
Ambassador Akram's remarks also pointed to the expanding violence beyond Gaza, particularly in the West Bank, where Israeli military operations, such as those in Jenin and northern West Bank cities starting in January 2025, have displaced a large number of people, creating the most significant population displacement since 1967.
He further noted that between October 7, 2023, and March 4, 2025, almost 900 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, with 90 deaths occurring just in the early months of this year.
"The ongoing expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem flagrantly violate international law and UN Security Council resolution 2334 and constitutes a clear breach of the Charter," the Pakistani envoy said.
Sigrid Kaag, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, also addressed the council, focusing on the rapid spread of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
She explained that this expansion is drastically changing the region's demographic makeup, and she described it as posing a serious threat to the possibility of establishing a viable, independent Palestinian state.
Kaag noted that despite the calls from the UN for a halt to settlement activity, Israel continues to approve thousands of new housing units, with approximately 10,600 new units either planned or approved in the West Bank, including nearly 5,000 in East Jerusalem.
The demolition of Palestinian-owned structures is accelerating, with 460 buildings razed, leaving hundreds of Palestinians displaced.
The UN’s special coordinator also highlighted the ongoing violence, with 123 Palestinians, including women and children, being killed during Israeli airstrikes and military operations, many of which involved exchanges of fire with armed Palestinians.
