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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Palestine on Thursday launched the first-ever Rectors&rsquo; Forum to strengthen academic cooperation and rebuild Gaza&rsquo;s war-ravaged higher education sector.&nbsp;Titled &ldquo;Higher Education and Scientific Research in Gaza: The Way Forward,&rdquo; the event was held at the OIC-COMSTECH Secretariat in Islamabad. It was hosted by COMSTECH, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation&rsquo;s Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation.&nbsp;Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the initiative marked &ldquo;an important step&rdquo; toward restoring Gaza&rsquo;s education and research capacities.&nbsp;&ldquo;It is a privilege to join this forum, which reflects our shared commitment to education, knowledge, and scientific progress, the foundation for peace and prosperity in the State of Palestine,&rdquo; Siddiqui said. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/d31ac423-7184-478f-ba02-016ef1b5810b-pale.jpg" alt=" (COMSTECH/Facebook)" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">(COMSTECH/Facebook)</figcaption></figure> The minister praised OIC-COMSTECH&rsquo;s role in advancing science and higher education across the Muslim world and announced support for the committee&rsquo;s plan to offer 5,000 fellowships to Palestinian students, calling it &ldquo;a remarkable initiative&rdquo; that would help shape a new generation of scientists and leaders.&nbsp;He also highlighted COMSTECH&rsquo;s Basic Life Support and Trauma Management Course for Palestinian healthcare workers and its technical and skills training programmes, describing them as &ldquo;tangible steps&rdquo; to strengthen human capacity and save lives in Gaza.&nbsp;&ldquo;Pakistan stands shoulder to shoulder with Palestine,&rdquo; Siddiqui said. &ldquo;We offer not just words, but cooperation in research, innovation, and higher education.&rdquo;&nbsp;He expressed hope that the forum would lead to joint research projects, faculty exchanges, scholarships, and lasting academic partnerships between institutions in both countries. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/2a157543-7120-4f9d-9a8b-6b71f653532e-pales.jpg" alt=" (COMSTECH/Facebook)" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">(COMSTECH/Facebook)</figcaption></figure>In his opening remarks, COMSTECH Coordinator General Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary said the forum aimed to create a roadmap for rebuilding Gaza&rsquo;s scientific and educational infrastructure.&nbsp;&ldquo;The systematic destruction of universities, research centres, and schools in Gaza has targeted not only buildings, but the intellectual foundations of an entire generation,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;He added that COMSTECH and its partner institutions would work with Palestinian counterparts to restore academic life, rebuild universities, and revive research and innovation in Gaza.&nbsp;A seven-member Palestinian delegation comprising university presidents, rectors, and senior academic officials is in Pakistan for a week-long visit facilitated by COMSTECH. The group will hold meetings at leading universities in Islamabad, Faisalabad, and Lahore to explore future collaborations.&nbsp;The event was attended by ambassadors, vice chancellors, senior academics, and officials from both countries.

Pakistan and Palestine held the first-ever Rectors’ Forum on Thursday to boost academic cooperation and rebuild higher education links between institutions in both countries. (COMSTECH/Facebook)

Foreign Affairs

Education Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui says the new Pakistan–Palestine Rectors’ Forum marks a vital step to rebuild Gaza’s higher education, as OIC-COMSTECH pledges 5,000 fellowships and joint research initiatives to restore academic life in Gaza.

Pakistan, Palestine launch forum to rebuild Gaza’s higher education sector

TEL AVIV: Israel&#39;s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was back in a Tel Aviv court on Wednesday for the latest hearing in his long-running corruption trial, which opened in May 2020. The prime minister kept a smiling face as he and his entourage of several ministers from his conservative Likud party were heckled by protesters en route to the tribunal. It comes after US President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that the Israeli premier should be pardoned in his three separate corruption cases. His latest appearance at the Tel Aviv court also follows the return of the hostages taken by Hamas as part of Trump&#39;s US-brokered plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. In one case, Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods, including champagne, cigars and jewellery, from billionaires in exchange for political favours. In two other instances, Netanyahu is also charged with attempting to negotiate better press coverage from two Israeli media outlets. He has denied any wrongdoing, claiming to be the victim of a political plot. During his current term, which started in late 2022, Netanyahu has proposed far-reaching judicial reforms that critics say sought to weaken the courts. Those prompted massive protests that only abated after the onset of the Gaza war, sparked by Hamas&#39;s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. In an address on Monday to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, Trump told the chamber that Netanyahu should receive a pardon in the graft cases. &quot;Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about that?&quot; Trump joked, before asking his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog: &quot;Why don&#39;t you give him a pardon?&quot; The Israeli premier is also subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on suspicion of ordering war crimes in his government&#39;s assault on Hamas militants in Gaza. Netanyahu holds the record for the most years spent at the head of Israel&#39;s government, having served 18 years in several stints as premier since 1996.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks on while President Donald Trump addresses the Knesset, Israel's parliament, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Jerusalem. (AP)

Middle East

Netanyahu in court for graft trial appearance

MEXICO CITY: The annual march to commemorate the 1968 massacre of protesting students in Mexico&rsquo;s capital was eclipsed Thursday by demands to end a humanitarian crisis halfway around the world in Gaza. The Oct. 2 march that has regularly been used not only to remember that earlier massacre, but also Mexico&rsquo;s tens of thousands of other missing and abuses of authority, was this year full of Palestinian flags and signs demanding an end to Israel&rsquo;s military operations in Gaza. &ldquo;We feel empathy not only for ours, for those our grandparents died for, but for all men and women around the world who are suffering what at one time we suffered,&rdquo; said Edgar L&oacute;pez, a 23-year-old economics student, who marched with a Palestinian flag on his back. Protesters marched from the Tlatelolco plaza where in 1968 Mexican troops attacked students demanding an end to Mexico&rsquo;s militarization and greater freedoms, leaving a never established death toll believed to be in the hundreds, to the capital&rsquo;s central plaza. While much of the march was peaceful some groups vandalized storefronts and threw objects, including Molotov cocktails, at the hundreds of police guarding the National Palace. <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/9f35e3ad-fdd6-4580-a6cc-692764265737-Demonstrators march during a protest commemorating the anniversary of the 1968 Tlatelolco killings, when soldiers fired on student protesters, in Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP).jpg" alt="Demonstrators march during a protest commemorating the anniversary of the 1968 Tlatelolco killings, when soldiers fired on student protesters, in Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP)" class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Demonstrators march during a protest commemorating the anniversary of the 1968 Tlatelolco killings, when soldiers fired on student protesters, in Mexico City, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP)</figcaption></figure> Mexico City officials estimated the march drew 10,000 people and authorities said there were about 350 who were masked and acting aggressively. AP journalists saw at least three other journalists attacked by police and protesters, and a police officer cornered and attacked by protesters. Local press reported at least six injured police, but authorities did not immediately confirm that number. A smaller spontaneous protest had broken out in the capital the previous night after Israel detained members of a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid. Among those detained were six Mexicans. Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said earlier Thursday that her administration had demanded their immediate repatriation.

A protester holds a doll representing former President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz during a protest commemorating the anniversary of the 1968 Tlatelolco killings, when soldiers fired on student protesters, in Mexico (AP)

Americas

Thousands marched in Mexico City to remember the 1968 student massacre, showing solidarity with Gaza amid Israeli military operations, with some violence and calls for the repatriation of detained Mexican aid workers.

 Gaza crisis features in march remembering 1968 Mexican massacre

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed US President Donald Trump&#39;s plan aimed at ending the war in Gaza on Monday, while lauding his leadership efforts. In a <a href="https://x.com/cmshehbaz/status/1972670954229698744?s=46&t=SApcAZAv0zK56lMSgiF_fg" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 115, 230);">post</a> on X (formerly Twitter), the Pakistani PM welcomed Trump&rsquo;s plan to end the Gaza war, stating that lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis was vital for stability in the region. &ldquo;I welcome President Trump&rsquo;s plan to ensure an end to the war in Gaza. I am also convinced that durable peace between the Palestinian people and Israel would be essential in bringing political stability and economic growth to the region.&rdquo; <figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/827dfea4-ae42-4c3b-9b75-6bb7cbf934fe-pm tweet.png" alt="pm tweet.png" class="fr-fil fr-dib"></figure> Sharif said that it was his &ldquo;firm belief that President Trump is fully prepared to assist in whatever way necessary to make this extremely important and urgent understanding to&nbsp;become a reality.&rdquo; He&nbsp;said the two-state proposal was necessary for lasting peace: &ldquo;I also strongly believe that the implementation of the two-state proposal is essential to ensure lasting peace in the region.&rdquo; Trump-Netanyahu meeting&nbsp; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with Donald Trump in Washington on Monday amid increasing international pressure and isolation. While Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive until Hamas is destroyed, Trump&rsquo;s plan calls for an immediate ceasefire, release of hostages within 48 hours, gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and disarmament of Hamas. The plan includes establishment of an international security force and a Palestinian technocratic committee initially governing Gaza civilian affairs, with eventual transfer to a reformed Palestinian Authority&mdash;though Netanyahu rejects the Palestinian Authority&rsquo;s role in Gaza postwar. Despite Netanyahu&rsquo;s praise of Trump&rsquo;s support, Israel and some Arab states expressed reservations, seeking revisions. Concerns include the involvement of Palestinian security forces, the fate of Hamas officials, and guarantees that Israel will uphold any agreements. Hamas has rejected disarmament and conditions tied to ending the war. The White House has urged both Israel and Hamas to finalize a ceasefire and hostage release deal, with Trump declaring on social media that &ldquo;We have a real chance for GREATNESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST... WE WILL GET IT DONE!!!&rdquo; AFP reported Monday that Trump said he was &quot;very confident&quot; of a Gaza deal, telling reporters, &quot;I am, I&#39;m very confident,&quot; when asked about peace prospects. When asked if all parties supported his plan, he repeated, &quot;very confident.&quot; Israel&rsquo;s War on Gaza Israel&rsquo;s war on Gaza has killed over 66,000 Palestinians and displaced more than 90% of Gaza&rsquo;s population, with devastating shortages of food, water, and medical supplies due to an ongoing siege. The UN and numerous countries have called for immediate humanitarian access and ceasefire amid growing famine and civilian suffering. The conflict&rsquo;s toll and Israel&rsquo;s response have eroded its international support, with 28 Western-aligned countries urging an end to the offensive, and ten countries recently recognizing Palestinian statehood. Several Arab states and international experts accuse Israel of committing genocide, a charge Israel vehemently denies and the issue is under review by the UN&rsquo;s highest court. UN report finds Israel responsible for Gaza genocide On September 16, 2025, the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry (COI) issued its third report on the Israeli war on Gaza, recognizing for the first time that genocide has been committed and continues against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The report demanded Israel immediately implement a &ldquo;complete and permanent&rdquo; ceasefire and ensure unfettered humanitarian access. The COI&rsquo;s investigation, spanning October 2023 to July 2025, found Israel responsible for four of the five acts constituting genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention, including killing members of the group, causing serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting destructive living conditions, and imposing measures to prevent births within the group. Specific evidence cited included attacks on civilians and healthcare facilities, torture and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees, destruction of maternity and fertility clinics, attacks on agricultural land, cultural sites, and widespread displacement of Gaza&rsquo;s population. The report concluded these acts were committed with clear genocidal intent, based on statements and actions by Israeli authorities. With input by Associated Press (AP) and Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif meets with the United States President Donald Trump in the White House on September 26, 2025. (Prime Minister's Office)

Asia

Pakistan’s PM welcomed Trump’s Gaza peace plan and called for a lasting two-state solution ahead of Israeli PM Netanyahu and Trump’s meeting to discuss Gaza's ceasefire, future governance, and hostage release.

Pakistan welcomes Trump’s Gaza peace plan, lauds his leadership efforts

JERUSALEM: Israel&#39;s far-right finance minister on Monday insisted the military maintain &quot;full operational freedom&quot; in Gaza, ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s White House meeting with US President Donald Trump.&nbsp;Trump is expected to press Netanyahu to agree to his 21-point peace plan, proposed after nearly two years of conflict.&nbsp;In a lengthy post on X, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich outlined a series of &quot;red lines&quot;, saying Israel&#39;s security relied on &quot;actions, our hold on the land, and uncompromising enforcement that depends solely on the (Israeli military) and our defense establishment&quot;.&nbsp;He demanded the military &quot;remain permanently at the perimeter, including the Philadelphi Corridor, and will maintain full operational freedom throughout the entire Gaza Strip&quot;.&nbsp;The corridor, along the Gaza-Egypt border, is seen by Israel as crucial to preventing weapons smuggling into the Palestinian territory.&nbsp;The Trump plan, according to a diplomatic source, involves an Israeli withdrawal from the territory.&nbsp;Smotrich also rejected any role for the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA) in the future of Gaza, which is among the most controversial aspects of Trump&#39;s plan.&nbsp;The PA governed Gaza until Hamas seized power in 2007. Netanyahu has also firmly rejected the idea of its involvement in Gaza&#39;s future.&nbsp;Smotrich demanded that there also be no Qatari involvement in the future of the Palestinian territory.&nbsp;&quot;The time has come to put an end to Qatar&#39;s hypocrisy and duplicity, which encourages and funds terrorism,&quot; he wrote.&nbsp;Israel recently struck US ally and key Gaza ceasefire mediator Qatar in a bid to target Hamas leaders, a move Trump opposed.&nbsp;Smotrich also demanded there be &quot;no mention, even implicitly, of a Palestinian state that would endanger Israel&#39;s existence,&quot; echoing comments made by Netanyahu.&nbsp;Smotrich said he hoped to &quot;seize the historic opportunity of the Trump administration... to politically and practically establish the fact that Judea and Samaria are an inseparable part of the sovereign State of Israel,&quot; using the Israeli Biblical term for the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.&nbsp;Trump last week cautioned Netanyahu against annexing the West Bank, as sought by Israeli cabinet members.&nbsp;Netanyahu depends on Smotrich&#39;s Religious Zionism party to maintain his parliamentary majority.

Reports say Trump is expected to press Netanyahu to agree to his 21-point peace plan, proposed after nearly two years of conflict.

Ahead of Trump meeting, Israeli minister demands army keep 'operational freedom' in Gaza

Reuters

On September 16, 2025, the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry (COI) on the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, issued its third report on the situation in Gaza since October 7, 2023.&nbsp;For the first time, the COI has recognized that genocide has been committed, and continues to be committed, against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. It demands that Israel immediately implement a &ldquo;complete and permanent&rdquo; ceasefire in Gaza, and that it ensures unhindered access to humanitarian aid, including food, clean water, medical equipment and medicine in all of Gaza.&nbsp;What&rsquo;s in the report?The report is a legal analysis of Israel&rsquo;s conduct in Gaza. It thoroughly examines all the elements of the definition of the crime of genocide established by the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide of 1948.&nbsp;The COI based its conclusions on its own investigations and relied on the jurisprudence of international criminal tribunals to examine the evidence gathered. The facts included in the report &ndash; a non-exhaustive list &ndash; are those that experts have considered relevant to the analysis of genocide.&nbsp;The report analyses events in the Gaza Strip between October 2023 and July 2025. This means it does not account for events that occurred before the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, or human rights violations in the West Bank during this period.&nbsp;The COI drew its finding of genocide by applying the criteria of &ldquo;reasonable grounds to conclude&rdquo;. This is the standard of proof used by most international commissions of inquiry on human rights. It differs from the criteria of &ldquo;beyond a reasonable doubt&rdquo; used in criminal tribunals &ndash; this is consistent with the complementary role played by international human rights commissions in judicial investigation processes.&nbsp;All this is to say that, according to international standards of proof, the report provides enough verified evidence to determine that Israel&rsquo;s conduct constitutes a crime of genocide.&nbsp;What is the evidence?By analyzing the elements of the definition of genocide, the COI concludes that Israeli forces have committed 4 of the 5 acts that constitute genocide committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as per the 1948 UN Convention. Namely, these are: &nbsp;- Killing members of the group &nbsp;- Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group - Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part&nbsp;- Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.&nbsp;According to the UN report, all these acts are being done with the intention to destroy, in whole or in part, the group of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.&nbsp;The report details specific, recorded acts that fit these definitions. These include attacks on civilians on evacuation routes, around 500 attacks on healthcare facilities, failure to use precision-guided &ldquo;smart&rdquo; weapons in densely populated residential areas, and deliberate attacks targeting medical personnel and aid workers.&nbsp;It describes the mistreatment and torture of more than 4,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody, as well as rape and other sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinian detainees. The report also highlights the systematic and intentional destruction of maternity facilities, an increase of 300% in miscarriages since October 7, 2023, as well as attacks on Gaza&rsquo;s largest fertility clinic, which destroyed around 4,000 embryos.&nbsp;The report also finds evidence of Israel intentionally destroying areas of agricultural land, destroying 110 cultural and religious sites, and damaging 70&nbsp;% of schools.&nbsp;More than 90% of Gaza&rsquo;s residents (about 1.9 million people) have been displaced, while Israel&rsquo;s &ldquo;total siege&rdquo; of Gaza has cut off supplies of water, food, electricity, fuel and other essential supplies, including humanitarian assistance. The report finds that Israel is using starvation as a method of warfare, and that it has weaponized access to basic supplies.&nbsp;Genocidal intentTo be considered genocide, all of these acts need to be committed with the special intention to destroy, in whole or in part, the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Based on the direct and circumstantial evidence available, the COI has drawn the following conclusion:&nbsp;&ldquo;The Israeli authorities intended to kill as many Palestinians as possible through its military operations in Gaza since 7 October 2023 and knew that the means and methods of warfare employed would cause mass deaths of Palestinians, including children.&rdquo;&nbsp;The direct evidence draws from statements made by Israeli authorities, which have repeatedly dehumanized Palestinians and &ldquo;explicitly called for vengeance, destruction and annihilation&rdquo;.Additionally, the report concludes that &ldquo;the only reasonable inference that can be drawn from the pattern of conduct of Israeli security forces in Gaza is evidence of genocidal intent.&rdquo;&nbsp;Will it make a difference?The report concludes that Israel has failed to prevent genocide, is still committing genocide, and has failed to punish genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. It calls on all States to prevent genocide by ceasing the transfer of weapons to Israel, and to ensure that individuals and corporations do not contribute to it.&nbsp;It also compels States to promote domestic investigations and to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in gathering evidence of the crime and incitement of genocide.&nbsp;Lastly, the COI recommends that the Prosecutor of the ICC expand its investigations of the situation in Palestine, and that it include genocide in addition to war crimes and crimes against humanity. Before the COI report, other UN mechanisms had already determined that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Nevertheless, this report is groundbreaking in its level of detail. The evidence it offers is so overwhelming that it leaves little room for doubt, or for the argument that Israel is acting in self-defense.&nbsp;The report&rsquo;s long-term impact remains to be seen, though its findings may have spurred the recent push to recognize a Palestinian State in various European countries.

For the first time, the COI recognizes that genocide has been committed, and continues to be committed, against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Articles tagged with "Israel's war on Gaza"

Pakistan, Palestine launch forum to rebuild Gaza’s higher education sector

Netanyahu in court for graft trial appearance

Gaza crisis features in march remembering 1968 Mexican massacre

Pakistan welcomes Trump’s Gaza peace plan, lauds his leadership efforts

Ahead of Trump meeting, Israeli minister demands army keep 'operational freedom' in Gaza

Overwhelming evidence of genocide against Palestinians: Legal expert