Pakistan dispatches 8th relief consignment for Gaza

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan on Sunday dispatched another relief consignment comprising food items, medical supplies, and other relief goods for the people of Gaza, where Israeli forces have killed over 34,000 people since October.

The 400 tons of shipment was dispatched from the Karachi port to Port Said in Egypt in collaboration with Al-Khidmat Foundation, Pakistan's largest aid agency.

A handing over ceremony was organized at Karachi port on Sunday, where Palestinian Ambassador to Pakistan Ahmad Rabaie received the shipment, a statement by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.

At Port Said, the shipment will be received by Pakistan's Ambassador to Egypt Sajid Bilal to be handed over to the Egyptian Red Crescent for its onward delivery to Gaza.

This is the 8th relief consignment being sent on behalf of the people and government of Pakistan for the people of Gaza.

The statement noted: "Pakistan remains committed to addressing the urgent needs of our Palestinian brothers and sisters as they face a dire humanitarian situation."

Flouting the International Court of Justice’s provisional ruling, Israel continues its onslaught on the Gaza Strip where at least 34,097 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 76,980 injured since Oct. 7, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Hostilities have continued unabated, however, and aid deliveries remain woefully insufficient to address the humanitarian catastrophe.