ISLAMABAD: Pakistan strongly condemned the raids and airstrikes carried out by the Israeli forces in Jenin in the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank, which killed 10 Palestinians and injured some 50 others.
“This latest episode of violence against the occupied people of Palestine by the occupying power must end immediately,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson reiterated Pakistan’s calls for the international community to assume its responsibility for bringing these brutal and illegal actions by the Israeli occupation forces to a halt and to ensure the protection of the human rights of the Palestinian people.
“Pakistan reaffirms its strong and unwavering support to the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people for the full realization of their rights and freedoms – including the right to self-determination,” he said.
“We also renew our call for a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian State, with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, in accordance with the relevant United Nations and OIC resolutions,” the spokesperson added.
UN voices ‘deep’ concern’
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed deep concern over Israel’s military operations in Jenin in the occupied West Bank. In a statement, Guterres affirmed that all military operations must be conducted with full respect for international humanitarian law.
UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), which runs four schools, one health centre and other facilities in the Jenin camp, said that many residents were in urgent need of food, drinking water and milk powder for children.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said that the extensive Jenin operation showed “violence only begets more violence.” He said the scale of the Israeli operation “raised a host of serious issues” regarding international human rights standards. “The killing, maiming and the destruction of property must stop.”
He said the methods and weapons used by Israeli forces “are more generally associated with the conduct of hostilities in armed conflict, rather than law enforcement.” He said deaths resulting from such airstrikes “may also amount to willful killings”.
“International human rights law sets clear obligations on Israel, as the occupying power, to ensure that all operations are planned and controlled so as to minimize, to the greatest extent possible, resort to force and in particular lethal force”, the High Commissioner said.
He said Israel is obliged to ensure timely access to medical care to all those injured during the violence.
