Daily Times

In a telephonic conversation with Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar reiterated Pakistan’s full support for all initiatives aimed at ending the genocide in Gaza, Radio Pakistan reported.

The two dignitaries discussed the situation in Gaza and unabated Israeli atrocities there. Dar reiterated Pakistan’s full support for humanitarian relief to the Palestinian people. At least 36,439 people have been killed in Gaza territory during more than seven months of fighting between Israel and Hamas, AFP reported while quoting the state’s health ministry.

The toll includes at least 60 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 82,627 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since October 7. An aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel has accepted a framework deal advanced by US President Joe Biden for winding down operations in Gaza, though he described it as flawed and in need of much more work, Reuters reported. Ophir Falk, chief foreign policy advisor to Netanyahu, said Biden’s proposal was “a deal we agreed to […] it’s not a good deal but we dearly want the hostages released, all of them”.

He said: “There are a lot of details to be worked out.” Israeli conditions, including “the release of the hostages and the destruction of Hamas as a genocidal terrorist organisation” have not changed, he added. The first phase of the three-phase plan entails a truce and the return of some hostages held by Hamas, after which the sides would negotiate on an open-ended cessation of hostilities for a second phase in which remaining live captives would go free, Biden said.