ISLAMABAD: Pakistan dispatched the fifth consignment of humanitarian assistance to Gaza on Sunday, the country’s disaster management authority said, amid Israel’s air and ground assaults on the densely populated territory.
The death toll from the ongoing Israeli strikes on Gaza has risen above 27,000, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Thousands more have been injured due to Israel’s relentless campaign that has seen thousands of women, children and the elderly killed amid calls for ceasefire around the world.
Israel began pounding Gaza after Hamas fighters rampaged through southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and capturing 240 hostages. Israel has responded by laying waste to large sections of Gaza to annihilate the Palestinian group.
“Following the Government of Pakistan’s directive, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in coordination with Al-Khidmat Foundation dispatches the fifth tranche of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza,” the NDMA said in its press release.
The relief items, which included family tents, tarpaulins, and blankets, were transported via a Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft from the Nur Khan Air Base in Rawalpindi, the authority said.
The flight will land in Al-Arish in Egypt, the NDMA said, where the Pakistani ambassador will take charge of it and oversee its supply to the Palestinian people.
“NDMA has also coordinated a sixth flight scheduled to depart from Karachi on 06 February 2024 with 100 tons of load,” it said.
The NDMA said it has dispatched 230 tons of relief items to the people of Palestine since Israel’s war on Gaza kicked off in October last year.
“More assistance is also planned, demonstrating Pakistan’s commitment to solidarity and seeking a peaceful resolution,” the NDMA said.
Pakistan, which does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, has condemned the killing of Palestinian people in Gaza and called for an immediate ceasefire.
