ISLAMABAD: Senior political leader of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh yesteray sought Pakistan’s intervention in halting ongoing Israeli atrocities, saying that it is a “brave” nation.

In his address to the national dialogue on ‘The Sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Responsibility of the Muslim Ummah’ held in Islamabad, he said: “If Israel faced resistance from Pakistan, the perpetration of cruelty could cease.”

Expressing hope in Pakistan’s support, he referred to the country as “brave” and a land of mujahideen (people who fight for Islam). Haniyeh, during the event organised by Majlis Ittehad-e-Ummah Pakistan, highlighted the opposition to Israel among those who follow the Holy Quran closely.

Fighting between Israel and Hamas, which governs the besieged coastal territory of the Gaza Strip, kicked off on October 7, when Hamas launched an all-out attack on Israel. In response, Israel has launched a brutal ground and air assault in Gaza, killing more than 16,200 people, mostly women and children. Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has invoked what is widely considered to be the most powerful diplomatic tool at his disposal.

In a letter to the UN Security Council, Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, which states that “the Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security”. The letter represents the first time Guterres has invoked the article since he took over the role of UN secretary-general on January 1, 2017.

In the letter, Guterres calls for the Security Council to press to avert a humanitarian catastrophe and appeals for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared in Gaza.

Israel declared war on Hamas after the group’s October 7 attacks that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities, and saw around 240 hostages taken. The latest toll from the Hamas-run government media office said 16,248 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, had been killed.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and free 138 hostages still held after scores were freed during a short-lived truce. Several Hamas commanders were killed in an air strike near the Indonesia Hospital, the Israeli military said early Wednesday on X.

The head of the United Nations has warned that he expects "public order to completely break down soon due to the desperate conditions" in Gaza, currently under relentless Israeli bombardment.

The humanitarian conditions amid the Israel-Hamas war are "fast deteriorating into a catastrophe with potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole," Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a letter to the president of the Security Council.

Moreover, US President Joe Biden called for the condemnation of “sexual violence” committed by Hamas, after allegations of rape during the October 7 attacks, which the group denies.

Biden’s comments come after campaigners in Israel have criticised what they see as a muted international response to violence against women during the attack.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 07 2023

Like Business on Facebook, follow @DailyNCourier on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.