Pakistan assures support for Gaza reconstruction

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Tuesday said his country would support the reconstruction of war-torn Gaza with “maximum contribution.”

Sharif, in his opening remarks at a Cabinet meeting in the capital Islamabad, reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to supporting the Palestinian people, assuring maximum contribution to the reconstruction phase of Gaza following the ceasefire deal, state-run Pakistan Television reported.

Noting that the ceasefire followed the killing of Palestinians and the destruction of cities, he expressed the hope that the temporary ceasefire would turn into a permanent truce.

A Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect on Sunday, suspending Israel’s genocidal war that has killed nearly 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 110,700 others since Oct. 7, 2023.

The 3-phase ceasefire agreement includes a prisoner exchange and sustained calm, aiming for a permanent truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The Israeli onslaught has left more than 11,000 people missing, with widespread destruction and a humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of many elderly people and children in one of the worst global humanitarian disasters ever.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.