UNITED NATIONS: Denouncing Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza, Pakistan Sunday called on the United Nations Security Council to end the Israeli aggression by taking enforcement steps including the deployment of an international protection force to save the besieged Palestinians in the battered enclave.
“Any attempt to sever Gaza from the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory is a direct attack on the very foundation of the Two-State vision,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told an emergency meeting of the 15-member body on the Israeli government’s approval of a plan to expand the war by taking control of Gaza City.
“Gaza is, and will remain an inseparable part of the State of Palestine,” he told delegates.
“We are convinced that justice is unstoppable- that the resilience of the Palestinian people, and the universal call for their rights, will ultimately overcome oppression,” the Pakistani envoy said, adding, “And let me also categorically state that decisions for governance and their future are for the Palestinians and Palestinians alone to make.
“No one else can decide for them,” he emphasized.
Citing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent affirmation that “the root cause of this ongoing tragedy is Israel’s prolonged, illegal occupation of Palestinian territory”, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said, “this Council must urgently demand Israel, under Chapter VII of the UN Charter (Enforcement), to refrain from its stated plan of occupying Gaza city.”
This move, Pakistani envoy said, aims at erasing Palestinian presence, and will also extinguish prospects for peace, and undermine all regional and international efforts to peacefully resolve this conflict, highlighting that it is the culmination of a campaign of ethnic cleansing.
The Israeli plans violates all UN Security Council resolutions on the Middle east, threatens mass displacement of over a million Palestinians — a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and follows a clear pattern: sustained bombardment, killing and maiming of thousands, destruction of an entire infrastructure, dismantling of humanitarian systems, forced starvation and displacement — all culminating in occupation under the pretext of “security.”
“Those shielding Israel from accountability — through political cover, military support, or diplomatic protection — are complicit, and must share responsibility,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar said, stressing that Tel Aviv’s allies “must reconsider their policies, for history will judge them harshly”.
In this regard, he urged the Security Council to also call for:
— An immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire, release of hostages and exchange of Palestinian prisoners;
— A complete halt to displacement and aggression;
— Unhindered, large-scale humanitarian access, and,
— Protection of the legal and historical status quo at Jerusalem’s holy sites.
“The Security Council must be ready to impose a cost on Israel if it defies the demand of the Council and the will of the international community,” the Pakistani envoy added, pointing out that “Gaza bleeds — under systematic, premeditated and deliberate violations of international law, including international humanitarian law, this Council’s own resolutions and binding orders of the ICJ (International Court of Justice).
On its part, he reaffirmed full support for the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, including right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
In conclusion, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar said, “This Council must go beyond statements. It must act — to end aggression, to protect civilians, restore justice and ensure accountability.”
At the outset, Miroslav Jenca, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, said the latest Israeli decision risks igniting another horrific chapter in this conflict, with potential consequences beyond Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.e Strip; and the establishment of .”
Citing Israeli media reports, he said the government foresees the displacement of all civilians from Gaza City, by 7 October 2025 affecting some 800,000 people, many of them previously displaced. Reports indicate that the IDF would then surround the city for three months. This would then reportedly be followed by an additional two months to seize control of central Gaza’s camps and clear the entire area of Palestinian armed groups.
“If these plans are implemented, they will likely trigger another calamity in Gaza, reverberating across the region and causing further forced displacement, killings, and destruction – compounding the unbearable suffering of the population,” the UN official said, calling for a full, immediate, and permanent ceasefire, the unconditional, immediate release of all hostages and compliance with international humanitarian law by Israel. –Agencies
