Due to fuel shortages and a communications outage, UN humanitarian delivery to Gaza were once again halted on Friday, adding to the suffering of thousands of Palestinians who are homeless and hungry. The World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations stated that the scarcity of food supply would “immediately possibility of starvation” for populations. According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, an Israeli strike near the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt—the area where aid is transited—married off many Palestinians and injured others. Nine individuals were said to have died during the walkout, according to reports reported by Al Jazeera TV. Israel did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for confirmation of the purported strike.
Pakistan refuted allegations made by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in its newly published report on Thursday, stating once more that it has not sold guns to Russia or Ukraine. Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokesperson for the Foreign Office, stated during today’s weekly media briefing that “we are not even in a position to tell which side is using which weapon in this conflict.” She further mentioned that Pakistan sells weapons to anyone with an end-user certificate. BBC Urdu made a claim earlier this week that it had documents that purportedly showed Pakistan selling weapons to Ukraine; the Pakistani government has constantly denied this assertion.
UNITED NATIONS: After making a strong plea for a ceasefire in the bombed-out enclave, the head of the UN children’s agency was hurt in a car accident while travelling from Cairo to Gaza. A senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official has mocked her for calling off her journey to Israel. The official seemed to interpret UNICEF Chief Catherine Russell’s decision to postpone her trip to Israel as a slight against Israel, claiming that she was making light of the traffic mishap. According to a UNICEF representative, Ms. Russell, an American citizen, was involved in a car accident in Egypt on Tuesday while travelling to Gaza, which resulted in the vehicle she was riding in flipping.
Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, the acting prime minister, encouraged Pakistanis living abroad to make investments in their country on Tuesday, promising them that the government would offer them all the facilities and support they could want. He stated that one of the government’s key concerns was defending the rights of Pakistanis living abroad. According to a news release from the PM Office Media Wing, the prime minister shared his opinions with a delegation of Pakistanis living abroad that came to see him. The delegation was led by Nouman Mustafa. The prime minister asked Pakistanis living abroad to transfer their remittances through the Roshan Digital Pakistan Account, noting that doing so legally and safely is crucial to the nation’s development.
Once again, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a dependable ally of Pakistan, helped the financially stressed country get through a trying period by providing assurances to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission over the external finance gap in the nation. The development reportedly occurred during a meeting between the head of the IMF mission and the UAE ambassador in Pakistan on Tuesday. The meeting was held in conjunction with ongoing policy-level discussions between Islamabad and the international lender regarding the first review of the $3 billion standby arrangement (SBA). The UAE envoy and the IMF delegation met to confirm Pakistan’s access to outside funding. As per reliable sources, the discussion covered topics like Pakistan’s $6.5 billion external finance shortfall and other related matters.
The first trilateral conference, which intended to improve economic connections, regional cooperation, and connectivity, was co-chaired on Tuesday by the deputy prime minister of Uzbekistan, the commerce ministers of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the minister of commerce of Uzbekistan. According to a news release from the Commerce Ministry, the meeting’s main goal was to improve trade relations between the three countries. Talks also covered lowering trade obstacles, streamlining customs processes, and encouraging easier cross-border trade. The ministers looked at potential investments across a range of industries, which might lead to more foreign direct investment, joint ventures, and public-private partnerships. Acknowledging the significance of regional interconnectedness, they deliberated on methods to improve transportation systems and encourage the growth of infrastructure to ease the flow of products.
The UN humanitarian officials stated that a ceasefire is more important than ever because additional patients, including preterm newborns, have reportedly perished in Gaza City’s bombed-out Al-Shifa hospital, which has been without electricity for three days due to escalating Israeli military attacks. Additionally, United Nations offices throughout the world honoured the 101 employees who have lost their lives in the violence that has engulfed Gaza, marking the greatest loss in the organization’s 78-year existence. In the meantime, the 37 premature newborns at the hospital were moved over the weekend to an operating room without their incubators, with medical staff attempting to heat the space, according to the Gaza health authority, the UN’s health agency WHO reported on Sunday night. Six babies at Al-Shifa passed away Monday.
Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti, the interim interior minister, has made it clear that the country’s illegal immigrant population is the sole target of the ongoing activity, with no crackdown targeting Afghan refugees. In response to a motion made by Senator Sardar Muhammad Shafiq Tareen and others, he stated as much. The Interior Minister refuted the notion that undocumented immigrants are being repatriated suddenly, stating that a suitable system has been developed by the government to facilitate their return. According to him, district-level committees were established, and one of the committees’ members, the Afghan Chargé d’affaires, provided appropriate input. According to Bugti, the government initially set up a period for voluntary repatriation, under which over 2,90,000 foreigners went back to their countries of origin, but the government only sent about 8,000 illegal Afghans back.
Territories of the Palestinians: According to Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, assistance should be parachuted into the Gaza Strip. He declared, “I call on the European Union and the United Nations to parachute aid into the Gaza Strip, especially the north.” UNRWA’s chief announced on Monday that the organisation will not be able to replenish hospitals, remove sewage, or provide drinking water in the next days due to the depletion of its fuel storage in Gaza. Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the agency, informed donors on Monday that it has been gradually emptying a strategic reserves-containing petroleum store near the Israeli border.
Speaking at an interfaith event on Sunday at the Presbyterian Church in this city, Maulana Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, the chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC), stated that Islam is a religion of love and peace. He lamented the fact that children were being slaughtered in Palestine and that Christians, Muslims, and Jews were falling prey to terrorism. He said that the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza was providing treatment services by Christian physicians and nurses. He continued, “We pay tribute to all those who were standing with Palestinians in this tough time.” All religious leaders, he claimed, were focusing on world peace. He claimed that the leaders of Gaza, including Sheikh-ul Azhar, Pope Francis, and Imam-e-Ka’aba, were emphasising peace.
