GAZA CITY, Palestine

Hamas welcomed on Saturday a Pakistani government's declaration that said Israel is an “entity committing war crimes” and “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a criminal terrorist figure.”

The Palestinian resistance group pointed out that the declaration is a “step towards supporting our people who are subjected to genocide and ethnic cleansing at the hands of the Zionist terrorists and an expression of the genuine historical positions of the Pakistani people, government, and parties in support of the first cause of Muslims."

Hamas urged countries around the world, especially Islamic nations, “to make efforts to support and aid our Palestinian people and to exert all possible pressure to stop the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip.”​​​​​​​

Pakistan also formed a committee Saturday to identify companies to boycott for supporting Israel in its offensive against the Gaza Strip.

"A committee has also been constituted to identify such companies and products in Pakistan that may be directly or indirectly abetting Israel or forces, committing war crimes against Palestinians," said Rana Sanaullah, adviser on political affairs to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Islamabad urged the world to designate Netanyahu as a terrorist.

"Netanyahu is responsible for atrocities committed by Israeli forces in Palestine, and we consider him a terrorist and demand the world community declare Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu a terrorist," it said.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.

More than 38,900 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 89,600 injured, according to local health authorities.

Over nine months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala