Pakistan vows to send more aid to Palestine, Lebanon amid Israel’s military campaign

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday Pakistan would continue sending relief goods to Palestine and Lebanon to aid those affected by Israel’s military campaign in the Middle East.
Israel besieged the Gaza Strip and launched airstrikes after a surprise attack by Hamas in October last year, which the group claimed was in response to the worsening conditions of Palestinians under Israeli occupation.
More recently, it opened another front in Lebanon with the stated goal of destroying Hezbollah, which attempted to provide military assistance to the Palestinians, raising fears of a broader regional conflict, potentially involving Iran.
Pakistan has so far dispatched 12 aid shipments to Palestine and Lebanon, which include ready-to-eat meat, tents, tarpaulins, warm bedding, winter clothing and powdered milk.
“We will not abandon the Muslims of Palestine, Gaza and Lebanon in their time of hardship,” the prime minister was quoted as saying in a statement released by his office.
“Pakistan will also send additional tents and blankets for our brothers and sisters in Palestine, Gaza and Lebanon, who are victims of Israeli aggression, as winter approaches,” he added.
Sharif instructed Pakistani ambassadors in Palestine’s neighborhood to submit a report on the required number of tents and blankets in the two war zones.
He said his government would soon send 3,000 more tents and 12,000 blankets to the two countries along with medicines and other items.
“No compromise should be made on the quality of aid being sent to Palestine and Lebanon,” he added.
The prime minister also criticized Western countries for not stopping Israel from killing “defenseless people.”
“History bears witness that the major cause of world wars in the 20th century was the silence of global powers on such conflicts,” he said.