Pakistan at OIC: Israel must be held accountable for Gaza ‘crimes against humanity’

Islamabad: Pakistan has demanded that Israel should be held accountable for “crimes against humanity” during the emergency session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday.

“Israel’s crimes against humanity should not escape accountability,” Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi said at the virtual OIC session following a week of intense Israeli bombings of Gaza. The meeting was chaired by Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan to address continuing Israeli attacks in the Palestinian territories.

Pakistan called upon the international community to “urgently intervene and take concerted actions to stop Israeli atrocities against civilian” population in Gaza. “The bombardment in Gaza must be stopped immediately,” Qureshi urged for immediate action from the world community to “protect the Palestinians against the blatant and illegal use of force and flagrant violations of human rights.” He said that “there should be no impunity for Israel’s violation of international law, including the Fourth Geneva and the other human rights conventions.”

Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 188 people in the Palestinian territory, including more than 52 children, and wounded over 1,225 since last week, according to Gaza health authorities.