Gaza escalation: Sirajul Haq announces protest outside US embassy

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq has announced a protest outside United States (US) embassy in Islamabad against Israel’s siege and relentless bombing of the Gaza Strip, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

Gaza is being bombed by the occupation forces after the resistance group Hamas launched a surprise offensive, breaching Israel’s defence.

Israel has put the strip — home to 2.3 million people — under siege while local authorities reported killings of more than 5,000 Palestinians.

About 40 percent of the 5,087 people killed are children, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said a day earlier, the day when Israel’s army said it carried out more than 300 new air attacks within 24 hours. Palestinian officials said more than 400 people were killed in that period.

Thousands of buildings have been destroyed, and more than one million people displaced in the territory, which has been under siege and largely deprived of water, food and other basic supplies.

Hamas’s attack in southern Israel killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.

Addressing a press conference today, Sirajul Haq urged the people to attend the Gaza march in connection with showing solidarity with the Palestinians.

“The United States (US) is supporting Israel to subject the people of Palestine to violence. It is up to the international community to play its role to stopping the Israeli atrocities,” he said, announcing a protest outside US embassy on Sunday (October 29).

Haq said his party has invited all political parties to attend the march outside US consulate in Islamabad to express solidarity with Palestinians.

“The US is 100 percent responsible in joining hands with Israel to subject the Palestinians to violence,” the JI chief said, adding that wherever in the world unrest prevails, the US is responsible.