Pakistan holds hundreds of Afghanistan-bound containers at Karachi port amid escalating trade row

Pakistan voices concern over human toll in Israel-Hamas conflict, emphasizes two-state solution

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Saturday it was keeping an eye on the situation in the Middle East and was concerned about the human toll after Hamas launched an unprecedented multi-front attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip earlier in the day that led to a high number of casualties on both sides.
The onslaught was potent enough to force Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call reservists while asserting that his country was “at war” with the Palestinian group.
Hamas began the attack by firing rockets and sending dozens of fighters across the heavily fortified border in a massive show of force that caught Israel off-guard.

Smoke plumes rise over Gaza City on October 7, 2023 during Israeli air strikes. (AFP)

The regional media reported nearly 40 to 100 Israelis had lost their lives while a much larger number had been wounded. The figure was even greater for Palestine where over 150 people were said to be killed.
“We are closely monitoring the unfolding situation in the Middle East and the eruption of hostilities between Israel and Palestinians,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a brief statement. “We are concerned about the human cost of the escalating situation.”
It added Pakistan had consistently advocated for a two-state solution for durable peace in the Middle East, with a just, comprehensive and lasting solution to the Palestinian question anchored in international law and in line with relevant United Nations and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) resolutions.
“A viable, sovereign and contiguous State of Palestine should be established on the basis of pre-1967 borders, with Al Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” the foreign office continued.
It urged the international community to come together for cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and for a lasting peace in the Middle East.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar also reacted to the development, saying he was “heartbroken by the escalating violence” which had once again reflected the need to address the Palestine Question.

Hamas has defended the military operation on the basis of Israel’s high-handedness against the Palestinians for decades.
The group has also asked the world community to “stop [Israeli] atrocities in Gaza” and protect holy Muslim sites like Al-Aqsa which were at risk due to the rise of right-wing politics in the Jewish state.