PAKISTAN on Thursday (Aug. 1) declared a national day of mourning in memory of slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. The South Asian country observed the day of mourning on Friday (Aug. 2), a statement said.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif voiced heightened criticism Wednesday of the killing of Haniyeh in a missile strike in the Iranian capital, Tehran, calling the attack a clear violation of international law.
“Israel has trampled on all international laws by committing this act,” Sharif said while addressing members of the ruling alliance’s parliament in Islamabad, according to state-run Pakistan Television. Hamas and Iran announced early Wednesday that Haniyeh had been killed in an Israeli airstrike on his Tehran residence. The attack came a day after Haniyeh attended the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Although Israel remained silent about Haniyeh’s death, Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at Tel Aviv’s involvement in the murder.
Deploring the silence of Western countries over Haniyeh’s killing, Sharif said the killing was a test for developed countries. “Netanyahu committed flagrant brutality but the international community remained silent on them,” he said.
Sharif paid tribute to the slain Hamas leader for his sacrifices for the Palestinian cause. He said Israel also killed Haniyeh’s sons and several other family members during its ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip. Several religious and political parties announced demonstrations on Friday across Pakistan to condemn Haniyeh’s killing.
Also read: Islamic groups from Yemen and Pakistan Condemn Israel Killing Ismail Haniyeh
Israel, which has ignored UN Security Council resolutions demanding an immediate ceasefire, has come under international condemnation for its continued brutal attacks on Gaza since the October 7, 2023, invasion by Hamas.
Since then, at least 39,445 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children. More than 91,000 people have been injured, according to local health authorities.
Nearly 10 months into Israel’s war, much of Gaza lies abandoned amid a blockade that has crippled access to food, clean water and medicine.
Israel was accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ ordered Israel to immediately halt its military operations south of Rafah, a city where more than a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was attacked on May 6. (Ant/Z-2)
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