Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq has criticised the “silence” of the Muslim leaders amid the continuous bombing of Gaza by Israeli forces in retaliation to the barrage of rockets fired by Hamas last week.

“A few condemn the attacks on Palestinians while others talk to each other over the phone and then wait for another tragedy,” he said while addressing a rally in solidarity with Palestinians on Sunday in Karachi. “If the Muslim countries do not unite in supporting the Palestinians and just remain neutral on this matter, then we will take it as they are siding with the US and Israel.”

Haq went on to add that Israel would not be able to continue its occupation of the Palestinian lands and claimed that the fate of Israel and the US would be similar to that of NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] and Russian forces in Afghanistan.

“Everyone with a conscience is standing with the people of Palestine because they are on the right side. People of Pakistan have proven that we live and die for the people of Palestine and Al-Aqsa mosque,” he added.

“After facing Israeli brutalities, Hamas attacked Israel and told the world that it is invincible,” he said.

The JI chief praised the Saudi government for ending normalisation talks with Israel and that Saudi Arabia and Iran held talks over the Palestine matter.

“Some people in Pakistan advise us to first concentrate on our economy rather than supporting Palestinians. It is not a time to bow down to global institutions, but to stand for the rights of the Palestinians,” he said.

Israeli forces were on Sunday readying for a looming Gaza ground invasion aimed at destroying Hamas, the Palestinian group that unleashed the bloodiest attack in the country’s history.

In the eight days since Hamas gunmen killed more than 1,300 Israelis in their surprise onslaught, Israel has responded with a devastating bombing campaign that has claimed over 2,300 lives in Gaza.