Pakistan has strongly condemned Israel’s recent move to dismantle the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
In a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday, the government described Israel’s actions as “yet another violation of international law and the UN Charter.”
The FO stressed that preventing UNRWA from carrying out its essential tasks reflects Israel’s systematic campaign to deny crucial humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.
This statement followed reports that Israeli authorities confiscated land in occupied East Jerusalem where UNRWA’s headquarters is situated. Israel plans to construct 1,440 illegal settlement units on the site, violating international law.
FO urged the international community, particularly the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), to hold Israel accountable for its actions and to ensure the unimpeded operations of UNRWA, in line with UN General Assembly Resolution 302 (IV) of 1949.
“The international community also needs to step in to end Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinians in Gaza,” the statement added.
Additionally, the FO reiterated Pakistan’s demand for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, alongside calls for unhindered humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of the local population.
“Sustainable peace in the region cannot be possible without the Palestinian people exercising their inalienable right to self-determination, and the creation of a viable, secure, contiguous, and sovereign State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” the FO stated.
