Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated on Saturday that the latest report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Gaza is clear evidence of a “genocide” being committed by Israel against the Palestinians, urging the global community to take action against the Jewish state.
According to the OCHA report released on Friday, Israeli evacuation orders have impacted 146 displacement sites in just two days, displacing as many as 250,000 people in August alone. The humanitarian food assistance that entered southern Gaza in July was among the lowest since October 2023.
The report also highlighted a severe rise in child malnutrition, with the number of children diagnosed with acute malnutrition in northern Gaza being four times higher than in May, and more than doubling in the south. Only 1 percent of children in northern Gaza and 6 percent in the south received the recommended dietary diversity.
In a statement from his office, Sharif described the UN report as “horrifying” and further proof of the “genocide” being carried out by Israel against the Palestinian people.
“The United Nations report clearly shows that Palestinian children are the primary targets of Israel,” Sharif said. “It is evident that Israel is engaged in the mass slaughter of Palestinians.”
Pakistan does not recognize the state of Israel and advocates for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) as its capital.
Since the onset of Israel’s war on Gaza in October last year, Pakistan has consistently raised the issue at the United Nations, urging international powers and multilateral organizations to halt Israeli military actions. Pakistan has also sent several aid consignments to assist the Palestinians.
“The reports from international organizations are a serious indictment against Israel. The murderers of humanity should be held accountable, and the oppressed Palestinians must be protected,” Sharif said, promising to accelerate the delivery of food, especially for Palestinian children.
Israel launched its offensive on Gaza on October 7, 2023, in response to an attack by Hamas that resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli sources. Militants also took around 200 Israelis hostage.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign against Hamas has led to nearly 40,000 deaths in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.
