Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh has praised JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman for presenting the stance of Palestinians to the world.

“Ummah is a witness that we are fighting a long war,” he said in a video address to the ‘Toofan-e- Aqsa conference’ organised by the JUI-F in Karachi on Thursday to express solidarity with Palestinians. “Your support is actually the support of Bait al-Maqdis. The mothers and sisters of Palestine are looking towards you.”

The Palestinian death toll as a result of the Israeli airstrikes has surpassed 9,000. Of these, 3,760 were children and an additional 32,000 had been wounded, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

A group of UN-mandated human rights experts, including the special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, said Thursday that “time is running out to prevent genocide and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza”.

Haniyeh said that women, children, and scholars of Palestine were on the battlefield as Israel pounds Gaza in response to the October 7 attack, which Israeli officials say killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians.

The Hamas’s political leader added that the ascension of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) started from Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Hamas was an organisation of “Mujahideen”, he said and added that the martyred Muslims in Palestine were getting a “great status”.

The JUI-F chief led the procession held on the Shahrah-e-Qaideen in Karachi. Fazl arrived in Karachi for the rally on Wednesday. Leaders from other religious parties as well as Gaza leader Dr Naji Zuhair were also in attendance.

JUI’s Sindh Aman March was also set to reach Karachi where it merged with the Aqsa protest on Shahrah-e-Qaideen. The march began 12 days ago and has wound its way through Hyderabad and Jamshoro to reach Thatta, from where it reached Karachi.

Pakistan stands with Palestine: Fazl

“We are peaceful people. We will stand together if any nation fights for freedom,” Fazl said while addressing the conference.

He added that freedom and liberty were the basic right of the people. “Today those who fight for freedom are called terrorists.”

While speaking about the October 7 attack by Hamas, the JUI-F chief stated that the whole of Pakistan stood with Palestine. “Pakistan belongs to the people,” he said, “We fought a war against the Israeli agent after 2018.”

MQM Pakistan Senior Deputy Convener Mustafa Kamal was of the view that Muslims should at least unite on this issue as it was a “test” for them not the Palestinians.

The traffic police have advised the people to not take route from Shahrah-e-Quaideen to Numaish due to the protest.