Pakistan Pushes UNSC To End Israel's 'brutal' War & Suffering Of Palestinians, Especially Children

UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Aug, 2025) As conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate, a senior Pakistani diplomat has called on the UN Security Council to act now to end Israel’s "brutal and illegal war and the unconscionable suffering of the Palestinian people", as he highlighted the plight of children in the besieged enclave.

"The entire world is watching –in disbelief," Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the 15-member body on Tuesday.

Speaking in a debate on the situation in the middle East, he pointed out that civilians have suffered the brunt of Israel’s war on Gaza, saying nothing can justify the indiscriminate killings, the starvation of an entire population, the collective punishment of a besieged people.

"These actions are not only morally indefensible; they constitute grave breaches of international law, including the Geneva Conventions, and stand in flagrant violation of binding measures issued by the International Court of Justice."

At the same time, the Pakistani envoy called for the release of Israeli hostages, saying it violated international law and was 'totally unacceptable." He also referred to the testimony to the Council of Ilay David, whose brother Eyvatar David, is a hostage , along with 48 other hostages, hoping that he would be reunited with the family.

In his remarks, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad underscored the gravity of the situation, saying 60,000 Gazans have been killed, including 18,500 children. "Palestinian children have been killed at a rate more than 1 per hour since the war began."

Around 9,500 Palestinians, including hundreds of children and women are currently imprisoned, around one-third without charge or trial, it was pointed out.

The Pakistani envoy drew attention of the Council about the "horrible" consequences of the Israeli blockade of Gaza: at least 175 Palestinians, including 93 children, have died of starvation.

Even the delivery of humanitarian aid has become deadly, with over 1,200 aid-related killings documented since May, he said.

"This war on civilians must end," Ambassador Asim Iftikhar said.

Pakistan, he said, called for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal, the release of hostages, and unimpeded humanitarian access.

"The initial phase of the ceasefire agreement brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States led to the release of 33 hostages. But for Israel’s unilateral abandonment of the ceasefire, further releases could not take place."

"We further call for the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2735, which presents a viable, actionable roadmap to end hostilities and deliver desperately needed aid."

In this regard, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar emphasized the need for addressing the root cause of this ongoing tragedy: that is the Israel’s prolonged, illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.

'As long as this occupation endures, peace will remain elusive," he told delegates.

"Lasting peace demands a credible political horizon - one grounded in international law - leading to the realization of a sovereign, viable, and contiguous Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital," the Pakistani envoy said, noting that the recent conference on the Two-State Solution must be followed by concrete international action to finally achieve the long coveted peace and stability in the Middle East.

At the outset of the meeting, a senior UN official upheld the need for a political solution to the crisis in Gaza that can lead to a lasting peace between the two peoples.

Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca briefed a Security Council meeting on Tuesday called by Israel to discuss the plight of hostages still being held in the war-ravaged enclave.

He stressed that people deprived of their liberty must be treated humanely and with dignity and allowed to be visited by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Meanwhile, “the situation in Gaza is horrifying – it is unbearable,” he continued, noting that “Palestinians are subjected to squalid, inhumane conditions on a daily basis.”

This is happening as Israel continues to severely restrict humanitarian assistance entering Gaza, while the aid that is allowed to enter “is grossly inadequate.”

He told the Council that “hunger is everywhere in Gaza, visible in the faces of children and in the desperation of parents risking their lives to access the most basic supplies.”

Here, he echoed the Secretary-General’s condemnation of the ongoing violence in Gaza, including the shooting, killing, and injuring of people trying to get food.

“International law is clear. Civilians must be respected, protected and never targeted or deliberately deprived of food or access to other lifesaving aid – doing so is a war crime,” he said.

“Israel must immediately allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of sufficient amounts of humanitarian relief for civilians in need, to avert further suffering and loss of life.”

Jenca also addressed latest reports regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s possible decision to expand military operations through the entire Gaza Strip.

If true, they are “deeply alarming,” he said, as “this would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza.”

He again turned to international law, which is clear that Gaza is and must remain an integral part of a future Palestinian State.

He cited the July 2024 Advisory Opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which declared that Israel is under an obligation to immediately cease all new settlement activities, evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and to bring an end to its unlawful presence there as rapidly as possible.

Jenca concluded his briefing by underlining the UN’s position that the only way to end the violence and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is through a full and permanent ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and allowing aid to enter at scale and without obstruction.