ISLAMABAD : Vice-President of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Senator Sherry Rehman, has strongly condemned the Israeli aggression on Palestinian civilians in Gaza that killed more than 8,000 people and injured scores of others, deeming it “state-sponsored terrorism” and warning of its lasting impact on global politics.
Addressing a special session of the Senate, convened to discuss the escalating tensions in Gaza, she said: “The actions taken by Israel in Gaza amount to a form of state-sponsored terrorism, not terrorism by non-state actors. It is no religious war, it is something worse. It is the politics of clear, open oppression, and it is state-sponsored violence.”
Senator Rehman stressed that the ongoing war in Gaza would continue, and its footprint would gradually spread elsewhere, leaving an indelible scar on global politics.
“What went on in Palestine, will not stay in Palestine,” she emphasized, clarifying that she did not advocate for the spread of violent terrorism or any form of terrorism, but when people are denied their right to life due to their ethnicity, such conflicts are likely to persist.
The senator added that the world, even during the worst of wars, had never witnessed the forced evacuation of hospitals or the obstruction of humanitarian convoys to the extent that was currently unfolding in Gaza.
She strongly denounced the Israeli forces’ interruption of medical and humanitarian supplies to Gaza, resulting in an unparalleled humanitarian crisis within hospitals. She characterized the situation, where Palestinian children wounded during the Israeli airstrikes were undergoing amputations with only mild anesthesia, as “hell on earth”, stressing that it was a clear violation of the principles established in the Geneva Conventions.
Senator Rehman also highlighted the PPP’s history of standing in solidarity with Palestine, reaffirming the party’s commitment to continue its support for the oppressed.
Since October 7, over 8,000 Palestinians have lost their lives in Israeli air strikes, with a toll of 3,195 children, according to the international humanitarian organization Save the Children. As the air strikes continue, Israel has initiated a ground offensive in Gaza and is obstructing the entry of critical supplies, including food, water, fuel, medicines, and medical equipment, in clear violation of international humanitarian law.