Pakistan Dispatches 100 Tonnes of Aid to Gaza as Death Toll Rises
Pakistan Sends 19th Consignment of Aid
LAHORE/GAZA CITY: Pakistan has dispatched another 100 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza, even as international rights groups warned of famine and mounting civilian deaths from intensified Israeli attacks on Gaza City.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) coordinated the shipment in line with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s directive to continue extending relief to Palestinians. A send-off ceremony was held at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport, attended by Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan along with officials from NDMA and Alkhidmat Foundation.
The latest consignment, sent via Egypt’s Al Arish, included flour, ready-to-eat meals, cooking oil, jam, and fruit cocktails. According to NDMA, this marks Pakistan’s 19th consignment, raising the total aid sent to Gaza to 1,915 tonnes.
Speaking at the ceremony, officials reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to stand by Palestinians during the crisis. The aid delivery comes as Gaza’s humanitarian situation worsens with limited international assistance reaching civilians trapped under siege.
Read more: Israeli Attacks on Gaza Kill at Least 65 Palestinians, Including 37 in Gaza City
Amnesty Warns of “Total Annihilation”
Amnesty International issued a grim warning that Gaza City is edging closer to “complete annihilation” amid escalating Israeli military operations.
“With every hour that passes without decisive international action, more Palestinian lives are lost,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty’s senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns. She described the UN’s famine declaration for Gaza as “a scathing indictment of the failure of states to press Israel into ending its genocide in the occupied Gaza Strip.”
Rosas added that Israel’s obstruction of aid, destruction of infrastructure, and deliberate targeting of civilians were part of a “campaign of starvation” designed to bring about the destruction of Palestinians in Gaza.
“History will never forgive us for standing by as emaciated children die while food remains just miles away, blocked by Israel,” she said.
Civilian Deaths Mount in Gaza City
Meanwhile, Israel intensified its aerial and ground assaults on Gaza City, leaving at least 65 Palestinians dead since dawn on Friday, medical officials told Al Jazeera.
Among the dead were 37 people in Gaza City, where Israeli forces have concentrated their strikes ahead of a broader planned offensive. One of the deadliest incidents occurred in Sheikh Radwan, a neighbourhood where displaced families had sought shelter inside a school compound.
An Israeli airstrike hit the schoolyard where tents had been set up, killing at least 12 civilians, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Social media footage, verified by Al Jazeera, showed an Israeli quadcopter hovering before dropping an explosive device on its target, followed by smoke billowing from the scene.
In a separate incident, Israeli forces killed another civilian in the Tuffah neighbourhood, a medical source at al-Ahli Hospital confirmed.
Growing International Alarm
The worsening humanitarian crisis has triggered growing alarm worldwide. Aid agencies warn that famine, disease, and relentless bombardment are creating unlivable conditions in Gaza. Calls for a ceasefire have intensified, but Israel continues to press ahead with its offensive, rejecting international criticism of its actions.
For Pakistan, the dispatch of aid is both a symbolic and practical demonstration of solidarity with Palestinians. Yet, as rights groups highlight, humanitarian efforts remain severely restricted as long as access routes into Gaza remain blocked.
With famine looming and civilian casualties climbing, global pressure is mounting for immediate steps to allow unimpeded delivery of aid and to halt the escalating violence.
Read more: Why Malnutrition Is So Dangerous? Why It Causes Lasting Damage
Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook,, X and TikTok for latest updates
