Humanitarian pause in Gaza ‘a positive step’ to prevent additional civilian casualties

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Afghanistan said Wednesday that a four-day pause in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip is "a positive step” to prevent additional civilian casualties and demanded an indefinite cease-fire.

“Following a month and a half of unrelenting bombardment by the Zionist regime on the defenseless people of the Gaza Strip, resulting in the martyrdom of more than fourteen thousand civilians and the violation of all boundaries of human rights by the Zionist forces, the announcement of a 4-day ceasefire is a positive step in preventing further civilian casualties,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Commending the “active” diplomacy of the Qatari government in ensuring a temporary humanitarian cease-fire and delivering humanitarian assistance to the “needy” people of Gaza, it said, “It is necessary to extend the ceasefire indefinitely to protect the lives of the people of Gaza.”

It added that the “duplicitous” position of the West and “purported” human rights bodies, vis-a-vis violation of human rights and transgression of all humanitarian limits by the “Zionist regime” in Gaza, has caused irreparable damage to their credibility.

“The comprehensive and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue is to end the occupation of historical Palestine and grant Palestinians the right to have an independent state on their historical territory like other nations,” it said.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry announced early Wednesday that an agreement on a four-day humanitarian pause was achieved between Israel and Hamas, with the starting time of the pause to be announced within 24 hours.

The Qatar-mediated agreement suggests the deal would include a four-day pause in fighting, the entry of 300 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid, including fuel into the Gaza Strip and the release of 50 Israelis held by Hamas in exchange for 150 Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails.

The agreement also allows an extension of the pause and the potential release of more children and women held by the two sides.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group, Hamas, on Oct. 7.

Authorities in Gaza said Tuesday that the death toll from Israeli attacks on the besieged enclave has since risen past 14,100 -- including more than 5,800 children and 3,900 women. The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.