It has been one year since the onset of Israel’s latest wave of violence in Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023. Over 40,000 Palestinians have lost their lives, among them approximately 17,000 children. The sheer scale of this devastation is staggering: more than 2.5% of Gaza’s children have been killed in just one year by Israeli forces. Statistics reveal that around 18.5% of the victims are women. Since that fateful day, Israel’s military assault has claimed at least 53 children and 72 adults each day. Additionally, over 10,000 people remain trapped beneath the rubble of relentless bombings. Despite the ongoing slaughter, there are no signs that this brutal campaign of terror will end anytime soon, all under the watchful gaze of an indifferent world. On the anniversary of this tragedy, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sent a message of solidarity, stating that the entire nation stands with their defenceless Palestinian brothers and sisters.
“A year has passed since Israel unleashed a new wave of oppression and brutality on the Palestinians on October 7, 2023. Flouting international law, ignoring UN Security Council resolutions, and mocking the International Court of Justice, Israel has so far massacred 41,000 innocent Palestinians, including women and children, leaving thousands more wounded and displaced. Gaza is now a wasteland, reduced to rubble by merciless bombardments. The global silence in the face of these atrocities is as appalling as Israel’s crimes,” he said. Sharif’s call to the international community was unambiguous: if Israel’s unchecked cruelty is not halted, the fragile peace in the region will be shattered, sparking unrest that will reverberate across the globe. He is not wrong. Israel’s state terrorism didn’t begin on October 7, 2023—it has been ongoing for seven decades.
The occupation’s violence now threatens not only Gaza and Palestine but also neighbouring countries in the region. History has repeatedly shown that when global powers fail to intervene, instead choosing complicity through inaction, the world pays the price. Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering stance, grounded in the principles laid out by its founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Pakistan will never recognise the illegal Israeli state, built on oppression and occupation, and will continue to offer moral, diplomatic, and political support to the Palestinian people in their struggle for freedom. In a rare display of unity, Pakistan’s political leadership gathered in the President’s House for an all-parties conference in solidarity with Gaza. Attendees included President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Sharif, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, among others.
In his speech, President Zardari condemned Israel’s aggression, stating that its actions pose a threat to global stability. He further criticised Israel’s attacks not only on Palestine but also on Lebanon, warning that Israeli actions are genocidal in nature. According to Zardari, over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since the assault began, with Gaza’s healthcare and education systems in total collapse. The president urged the international community to act and stop Israel’s aggression, vowing that Pakistan will continue to raise the issue of Israeli violations on every international forum. While Pakistan and other Muslim nations have consistently condemned Israel’s actions, their protests seem to fall on deaf ears. Just recently, Israeli forces launched another vicious attack, bombing a mosque and a school in Gaza, killing 24 people and wounding 93. Simultaneously, Israeli airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs left 25 dead and dozens injured. Hezbollah retaliated by firing rockets into Israel, igniting fires across several Israeli towns.
Yet, despite these escalating atrocities, Israel shows no sign of halting its aggression. Far from it, the conflict is expanding beyond Palestine, with Israel now targeting Lebanon and Yemen, and threatening Iran. The United Nations and its Security Council, paralysed by geopolitics, have remained nothing more than spectators, their authority diminished and their roles reduced to puppetry at the hands of powerful nations, chiefly the United States. The question now is whether Muslim leaders will continue to issue statements of condemnation or finally take concrete steps towards a lasting solution. The reality is that the “Greater Israel” project poses an existential threat not only to Palestine but to every state in the Middle East. The time for decisive action is now, before the flames of war engulf the entire region. Silence and passivity can no longer be the default response to this unchecked catastrophe.
