Pakistan welcomes Palestinian medical students to complete studies amid Gaza crisis

Pakistan on Monday welcomed a group of Palestinian medical students to complete their studies in the country, underscoring its support for Palestinian access to education and healthcare amid ongoing violence in Gaza.

Twenty-seven students arrived in Lahore from Cairo, marking the first wave of Palestinian students accepted under a scholarship initiative announced in July.

"Pakistan warmly welcomes Palestinian medical students for completion of their studies. Their presence further strengthens the bonds of solidarity between our peoples. We stand firmly with the people of Palestine in support of their inalienable rights to education, health, and a brighter future for all," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote in a post on X.

In July, Pakistan pledged to provide scholarships for Palestinian medical students from war-torn Gaza, offering them the opportunity to pursue education in South Asia as conflict disrupts daily life in their homeland.

Al-Khidmat Foundation, a major Pakistani relief organization, partnered with International Rafah University Islamabad to offer scholarships to over 100 students from Gaza, following an agreement signed with the Palestinian Embassy in Islamabad in June.

The Al-Khidmat Foundation, already active in Gaza and Egypt through partnerships with Turkish and Egyptian relief organizations, is managing the scholarship program.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

At least 62 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip, bringing the overall death toll since last year to 42,289, the Health Ministry in the enclave said on Monday.

Some 98,684 others have also been injured in the ongoing assault.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Mediation efforts led by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas have failed over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to halt the war.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.