ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's foreign office on Thursday condemned the "excessive use of force" by Israel after its troops killed 11 Palestinians and wounded over 100 during a raid in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.
The casualties took place during an hours-long raid on Nablus that also left more than 100 people with gunshot wounds, the Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed in a statement.
The Israeli army said the raid targeted militant suspects “in a hideout apartment” who were accused of shootings in the West Bank. Three of the suspects — two from the Lion’s Den group and one from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad — were killed, it added.
The operation sparked anger among Palestinians who announced a comprehensive protest strike in Bethlehem on Thursday. Pakistan, which does not recognize Israel as a state, has frequently called on Tel Aviv to cease hostilities and police brutalities against unarmed Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
In a strongly worded statement, Pakistan's foreign office called on Israel to desist from such "atrocious" acts, reminding it that they were a flagrant violation of international law and UN resolutions.
"Such excessive use of force by Israel would further aggravate the tense situation and undermine the prospect of peace in the region," Pakistan's foreign office said. "Pakistan calls upon the international community to hold Israel accountable for its grave human rights violations against the Palestinians," it added.
Islamabad reiterated its "full support" for the people of Palestine, calling for an independent Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
