'Israeli raids on Gaza violate UN Charter'

Pakistani officials have condemned the Israeli airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip as an apparent violation of the United Nations Charter.

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Islamabad called on the international community on Sunday to promote 'a peaceful, just and durable settlement of the Palestine issue', a Press TV correspondent reported from the Pakistani capital.

In separate messages, Pakistani president Asif Ali Zaradari and Premier Syed Yousaf Reza Gilani lambasted Israel's deadliest attack on Gazans in six decades.

The airstrikes have killed over 300 and wounded hundreds more, as the attacks continued into the second day.

The Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said the use of force not contravenes international principles and norms it will prove to be counter-productive.

Both the leaders expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in the region.

Referring to the humanitarian sufferings and economic hardship of the Palestinian people, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi said a violent solution would only aggravate the conflicts.

"The current situation in Gaza could lead to escalation of tension in the region and undermine efforts for promoting a just and equitable resolution of the Palestinian issue", Qureshi concluded. Link

Palestinians fleeing Israeli air strikes near the Gaza border town of Rafah have been met with gunfire from Egyptian police forces.