President of Egypt Muhamed Morsi telephoned Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf Friday evening to discuss the situation in Gaza arising from aerial bombardments by Israeli war planes in which several Palestinians were killed and many injured, the PM office said.

The President of Egypt requested Ashraf for Pakistan's support when the Palestinian issue is raised at international forums.

The Prime Minister said that Pakistan strongly condemned Israeli air attacks in Gaza that have targeted not only the Hamas leadership but also innocent civilians. He said that Pakistan considered the Israeli action as a grave violation of international law and all humanitarian norms. He added that Israeli threats of a ground offensive against Gaza are even more disturbing.

While talking to President Morsi, the Prime Minister said that unless the Palestinian problem is resolved, peace in the Middle East will remain elusive.

The Prime Minister expressed concern that the escalation in violence could lead to a spreading of conflict which may engulf the region. He recalled that Pakistan is among the sponsors of the first resolution on Palestinian issue adopted by the UN Security Council. He assured that the people of Pakistan will stand with the people of Palestine at this difficult time as they have always done in the past.

The President of Egypt thanked the government and people of Pakistan for their support to the cause of Palestinian people.