By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Pakistan has strongly condemned Tuesday's Israeli airstrike on the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip that led to hundreds of casualties.

"Yesterday’s air raid on Jabalia camp, where hundreds of lives were lost, including women and children, was a stark reminder of ongoing Israeli brutalities and war crimes in Gaza," the interim prime minister, Anwarul Haq Kakar, said on X on Wednesday.

He added that such "reprehensible acts can never be condoned or forgotten" and urged the world to "act now to end this carnage."

The Foreign Ministry also issued a statement that read: "The attack is the latest in a series of war crimes being perpetrated against the people of Gaza. It also underlines the urgency of an unconditional ceasefire to protect civilians from further carnage."

Separately, the Senate, or upper house of parliament, passed a resolution that condemned Israel's "war crimes" in Gaza and denounced all those who support its actions. It called on the international community to take immediate and effective steps to save Palestinians from the Israeli "state terrorism."

Brought forward by former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in an emergency session, the resolution called Gaza the "biggest open prison" in the world, adding that Israel has committed unprecedented barbarity and state terrorism against innocent Palestinian citizens.

Chairman of the Senate, Sadiq Sanjrani, said the resolution will be sent to the UN and parliaments across the world.

Airstrikes on the refugee camp killed and injured hundreds of people, according to the Interior Ministry in the besieged enclave, which said Israel dropped six bombs on the residential area.

The Israeli army has expanded its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since the Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise cross-border offensive on Oct. 7.

Paltel Group, the company providing communications services in Palestine, reported another widespread outage of internet and phone service in Gaza early Wednesday.

Besides a large number of casualties – at least 8,525 Palestinians and 1,538 in Israel – and displacement, basic supplies are running low for the 2.3 million people in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected growing calls for a cease-fire, saying it would be a "surrender" to Hamas and "that will not happen."