Pakistan has drawn attention to the unprecedented increase in ‘systematic, coordinated attacks’ against the Palestinian population during a briefing at the United Nations Security Council. Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed also highlighted the recent attack in which four members of the same family were killed.
According to a statement issued today, Asim Iftikhar detailed that 71,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza in the past two years. While violence has also increased in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, resulting in the death of more than 1,100 Palestinians during the same period.
Ambassador Ahmad recounted the 15th of March incident in the town of Tammun, where Ali Bani Owda, his wife Waed, and their young sons, Othman, seven, and Mohammed, five, were fatally shot in their vehicle. The ambassador noted they were on their way to buy clothes for Eid. Two of the family’s other children were wounded in the attack.
The ambassador reported that this event was followed by a wave of assaults by masked groups across the West Bank, involving arson at homes and mosques and the destruction of vehicles. He stressed that as the “occupying power”, Israel has a legal obligation under international law to protect Palestinian civilians, an obligation he asserted is being “violated with impunity”.
The Pakistani envoy noted that the unresolved “Question of Palestine” remains the central cause of the Arab-Israeli conflict, fuelling grievances and perpetuating regional instability.
Despite the grim realities, Ahmad acknowledged international peace initiatives, including US-led efforts supported by Arab and OIC countries, which advanced a peace plan and facilitated the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit.
He also pointed to constructive steps such as Security Council resolution 2803, which Pakistan supported. He identified the formation of the Executive Board for Gaza and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) as positive developments in the pursuit of a credible political process towards Palestinian statehood.