Pakistan again pressed the United Nations Security Council to demand an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza on Friday.
Addressing the Council, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Asim Iftikhar Ahmed reaffirmed Islamabad’s “unwavering support” for the Palestinian right to self-determination and urged an end to Israeli military operations.
He said Pakistan “stands with humanity, justice and international law,” noting that Gaza’s civilians remain under relentless bombardment and blockade, with children starving, hospitals destroyed and families lacking food, medicine and shelter.
Ahmed stressed that Pakistan stands with the majority of Council members and the broader UN membership in reflecting the expectations of the international community for an urgent halt to the fighting.
Displaced Palestinians, fleeing northern Gaza due to an Israeli military operation, move southward after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the south, in the central Gaza Strip, September 18, 2025. Photo: Reuters
US vetoes Gaza ceasefire
The United States on Thursday, again wielded its veto and thwarted a UN Security Council call for a ceasefire in Gaza at UN headquarters in New York City, US, shielding its ally Israel from meaningful diplomatic pressure.
The 14 other members of the Council backed the resolution, initiated in August in response to the UN’s official declaration of famine after nearly two years of Israel’s war on Hamas in the Palestinian territory.
The vote came as Israeli tanks and jets pounded Gaza City, the target of a major new ground offensive, forcing Palestinians to flee south.
Israel launched its long-anticipated ground offensive in Gaza City on Tuesday, targeting Hamas militants and prompting widespread international alarm, with the UN condemning it as “carnage”.
The United States has repeatedly rejected that approach multiple times, most recently in June when it used its veto to back Israel.
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes during a military operation in Gaza City, September 18, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Israel war on Gaza
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks across Gaza have killed more than 65,000 people and wounded 157,951, the Palestinian Health Ministry in the enclave says.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Palestinians, displaced by the Israeli military offensive, take shelter in a tent camp, amid an Israeli operation, in Gaza City, September 18, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave. The proposed deal includes a pause in hostilities, increased humanitarian aid, and negotiations on the release of captives
