JEDDAH, Jan 3: The Organisation of Islamic Conference has called upon the international community to take steps to lessen the pain and suffering of Palestinian people living in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking in Jeddah on Sunday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Inamul Haq, who presided over a meeting of the executive committee of OIC foreign ministers, said the meeting was taking place at a time when the Palestinians were facing a barbaric Israeli military campaign in Gaza.

He said that the OIC considered the siege imposed on Gaza a flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention and international human rights law.

Mr Haq condemned the Israeli military campaign and said the development would undermine international efforts aimed at reaching a fair and durable settlement of the Palestinian issue.

He highlighted the role of the Egyptian government in helping the Palestinians who had crossed the border a few days back and entered Egypt to get essential items.

The minister attributed the instability in the entire region to Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories and its efforts to annex these lands.

He urged the UN Security Council to stop the Israeli violations of the rights of the Palestinian people and work for ending the siege.

The OIC secretary general, Prof Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, said the siege of Gaza had created an acute humanitarian crisis. He stressed the importance of unity among the Palestinians for foiling the plots hatched by Israel.