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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday reaffirmed Islamabad’s support for the people of Palestine, rejecting Israeli “aggression and war crimes” and urging a permanent ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza.

Dar made the remarks during a meeting with a four-member Palestinian delegation led by Mahmoud Al-Habbash, presidential adviser and supreme judge, who is visiting Pakistan to attend a religious conference marking the Prophet’s birth, the foreign office said in a statement.

“[Dar] reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and their just struggle for freedom, dignity & statehood,” according to the statement.

He also “firmly rejected Israeli aggression and war crimes: genocide, starvation, man-made famine, mass killings, settlements, annexations and forced displacement.”

The deputy prime minister called for a permanent and unconditional ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian aid for the besieged enclave, the statement added.

Pakistan, which does nor recognize Israel, has long backed the establishment of an independent, sovereign and contiguous Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif (East Jerusalem) as its capital, calling its support a legal, moral and religious duty.

The Palestinian delegation’s visit comes amid continuing Israeli strikes in Gaza and mounting international criticism of the humanitarian toll.

According to Gaza health officials, over 64,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in October 2023, while the United Nations has warned of acute food shortages and mass displacement across the enclave.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system said last month Gaza City was officially in famine, with hunger spreading.

Around 514,000 people — close to a quarter of Palestinians in Gaza — are experiencing famine, with the number due to rise to 641,000 by the end of September, IPC said.

It was the first time the hunger monitor has recorded famine outside of Africa.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan condemned Israel’s ongoing military offensive against the Palestinians and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) heads of state meeting in China this week, the Pakistani foreign office said on Friday, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirming his support for the next phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Israeli troops have lately been operating in parts of Gaza City as they plan to take over all of the most populous Palestinian city that is home to around a million people many of whom have already been displaced multiple times.

On Thursday, Israeli strikes killed 28 people as the death toll from Israel’s two-year war rose to 64,000, according to Palestinian health officials. Last month, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system said Gaza City was officially in famine, with around 514,000 people experiencing it.

Pakistan, which does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, has consistently condemned Israel’s war on Gaza, called for an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Palestinian territory and the establishment of an independent, sovereign and contiguous

Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“At the SCO CHS summit, the Prime Minister Sharif presented Pakistan’s perspective on pressing regional and global issues, highlighting strategies to strengthen SCO’s role in fostering regional cooperation and stability,” Shafqat Ali Khan, a Pakistani foreign office spokesman, said at a weekly press briefing in Islamabad.

“The prime minister unequivocally denounced Israel’s inhuman military offensive against Gaza and called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.”

The foreign office spokesman said PM Sharif, during his visit to China to attend the SCO summit, held meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, and appreciated Beijing’s support to Pakistan’s socio-economic development.

“He lauded the significance of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as a flagship project of President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative, and reaffirmed the desire to continue working closely with China for the successful implementation of the next phase of upgraded CPEC with its five new corridors,” Khan said.

“This would help both countries to build an even stronger Pakistan-China community with a shared future.”

China is a key strategic ally of Pakistan, with Beijing pouring in tens of billions in energy and infrastructure development projects in the South Asian country under CPEC.

The second phase of CPEC focuses on growth, livelihood and innovation, and reinforcement of Pakistan’s national development framework centered on ‘5 Es,’ representing exports, e-Pakistan, energy, environment and equity.

On Thursday, both countries also signed 21 memorandums of understanding and joint ventures worth $4.2 billion to enhance business-to-business (B2B) cooperation in diverse areas, Pakistani state media reported.