Pakistan deeply concerned by escalating hostility in Middle East: Jilani.

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Sunday said that Pakistan is deeply concerned by the escalating hostility in the Middle East and the loss of innocent lives.

'Pakistan is deeply concerned by the escalating hostility in the Middle East and the loss of innocent lives. We stand in solidarity with Palestinians and call for an immediate end to the violence and oppression by Israeli occupation forces,' Jilani wrote on his X account.

Jalil Abbas Jilani said a viable and sovereign State of Palestine must be established on the basis of pre-1967 borders and UN resolutions.

He said the international community needs to intervene to bring an end to the conflict, protect civilians, and work towards a lasting peace in the Middle East.

Fighting between Israeli forces and the Palestinian group Hamas raged Sunday, with hundreds killed on both sides after a surprise attack on Israel prompted Benjamin Netanyahu to warn they were 'embarking on a long and difficult war'.

Israel battered Gaza on Sunday, a day after suffering its bloodiest attack in decades when Hamas fighters rampaged through Israeli towns, killing hundreds and abducting an unknown number of others.

Overnight, Israeli air strikes had hit housing blocks, tunnels, a mosque and homes of Hamas officials in Gaza, killing more than 300 people, including 20 children.

Meanwhile, President Dr Arif Alvi also called upon the international community to play its active role for a peaceful resolution of the Israel-Palestine dispute in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and...