Pakistani party promises to fight alongside Hamas “on the front lines”

Jamiat Ulema-e Islam, the largest Islamic political party in the nation, organised a sizable demonstration in Peshawar in support of the Palestinians.

At a sizable rally held on Saturday in the city of Peshawar, the head of Pakistan’s largest religious political party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUIF), vowed to support Hamas financially and to fight alongside the Palestinian militant organisation “on the frontlines” against Israel.

At the Mufti Mahmoud Conference, JUIF chairman Maulana Fazlur Rehman informed the audience, “If the Islamic countries give us access, we are ready to join the war on the frontlines. He acknowledged that Hamas had asked for financial support and claimed to have pledged that the group would comply.

Rehman went on to say that Israel’s violence had gone beyond the bounds of tyranny and he urged the Muslim community to stand firmly against the occupying state. Since the onslaught by Hamas on last Saturday, the Israel Defence Forces have bombarded Gaza in a way that has never before killed approximately 2,000 people and completely destroyed entire neighbourhoods.

Although the purpose of the celebration on Saturday was to honour Mufti Mahmoud, the founder of JUIF, Rehman’s statements and Khaled Meshaal’s live video connection appearance at the conference quickly transformed the gathering into a Palestinian solidarity rally.

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Rehman welcomed the surprise strike by Hamas on Israel earlier this week as a “historic success,” claiming it had “destroyed Israel’s defence system and its arrogance.” To reaffirm the support of leaders for the Palestinian cause and to denounce Israel’s conduct, he called for a meeting of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation.

Meshaal previously asked Muslims worldwide to march to the streets on Friday to show their support for Hamas and Palestine. Meshaal created and headed Hamas from 1996 until 2017 before accepting his present post. Senior members of numerous other parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, spoke out in favour of Hamas at their rallies on Friday.

On Friday, Rehman and Meshaal also discussed the situation in Gaza, which the UN has warned is deteriorating into a humanitarian crisis.

As a result of Israel’s ultimatum to evacuate 1.1 million Palestinians from northern Gaza on Thursday, the already crowded population of one of the world’s most densely populated regions was forced to consolidate even more under ongoing bombardment. Until the hostages captured by Hamas last Saturday are released, the Israeli government has pledged to cut off the blockaded territory’s access to electricity, water, and food. Human rights experts have warned that this is a flagrant breach of international law and constitutes collective punishment.