https://arab.news/gp2jg
- Israeli tanks rolled back into the greater Khan Younis area after Israel ordered evacuations of some districts it said were being used by militants
- Israeli tank salvoes killed 49 Palestinians in the town of Bani Suhaila and others fringing eastern Khan Younis, with the area also bombarded by air
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday condemned fresh Israeli strikes in Gaza’s Khan Younis area that killed 49 Palestinians, describing it as a “mockery of humanity.”
Israeli tanks rolled back into the greater Khan Younis area after Israel ordered evacuations of some districts it said had been used for renewed attacks by militants.
The Palestinians were killed by tank salvoes in the town of Bani Suhaila and others fringing the eastern side of Khan Younis, with the area also bombarded by air, residents said.
“Such an aggressive attack within minutes of instructions given to Khan Younis refugees to evacuate is a mockery of humanity,” Sharif said in a statement. “The unarmed Palestinian refugees were not even given a chance to evacuate.”
The Gaza health ministry said the dead included several women and children and that at least 186 other people had been injured by Israeli fire.
Around 400,000 people are living in the targeted areas and dozens of families have begun to leave their houses, Palestinian officials said, adding they were not given time to get out of harm’s way before the Israeli strikes began.
The Pakistan premier said it was clear that Israeli forces were acting on “the agenda of genocide of the Palestinians.”
He reiterated Pakistan’s support for the Palestinians in their struggle for right to self-determination. “The United Nations must play its role in resolving the Palestine issue,” Sharif added.
Pakistan does not recognize nor have diplomatic relations with Israel and calls for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza in October last year, Pakistan has repeatedly raised the issue at the United Nations and demanded international powers and multilateral bodies stop Israeli military actions in Gaza.
Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas after militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages in a cross-border assault on Oct. 7, 2023, according to Israeli tallies.
The death toll among Palestinians in Israel’s retaliatory offensive since then had reached at least 39,006 as of Monday, Gaza health authorities said.