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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s monsoon activity is likely to remain subdued until August 12, with a possible revival over the upper half of the country from August 13, the Meteorological Department said on Friday, as the nationwide death toll from rain-related incidents held steady at 303.

The outlook came as authorities continue to assess damage from weeks of downpours, which began in late June. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), over 730 people have also been injured since June 26, more than half of them in Punjab province.

Children accounted for nearly 47 percent of the deceased.

“No significant flood situation is expected in any of the major rivers up to 13th August,” the Met Office said, although it warned of increasing river flows due to water releases from upstream reservoirs in India.

The NDMA’s latest daily situation report noted no new casualties or injuries in the last 24 hours, but warned of residual impacts, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), where five houses were partially damaged and six livestock perished in the districts of Haripur and North Waziristan.

House collapse remains the leading cause of death during this monsoon season, accounting for 55.1 percent of fatalities, followed by drowning (17.8 percent) and flash floods (14.9 percent).

Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, frequently experiencing heatwaves, glacial lake outburst floods and erratic rainfall.

In 2022, the country suffered catastrophic flooding that submerged a third of its territory, displaced millions of people and caused over $30 billion in damage, according to government and international estimates.

Climate scientists say Pakistan’s exposure to extreme weather events has increased due to warming temperatures, shrinking glaciers and changing monsoon patterns, prompting the government to push for climate finance and adaptation support at international forums.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Friday condemned the “desecration” of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli ministers and officials, warning that such provocations risk triggering a “catastrophic spiral of violence” in the region.

Israeli far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and officials, guarded by Israeli forces and accompanied by thousands of settlers, this month stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Ben Gvir said he prayed at the site, in violation of rules covering one of the most sensitive sites in the Middle East.

Under a delicate decades-old “status quo” arrangement with Muslim authorities, the Al-Aqsa compound is administered by a Jordanian religious foundation and Jews can visit but may not pray there. The Israeli incursion saw assaults on Muslim worshippers, journalists and mosque guards, drawing widespread condemnation for the violation of the site’s sanctity.

“The presence and statement of senior Israeli officials and the repugnant declaration that the Temple Mount is ours are a dangerous and deliberate attempt to provoke religious sentiments across the world, escalate tensions and alter the status of Al-Aqsa Mosque,” Pakistani Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said at a weekly press briefing in Islamabad.

“Israel’s expansionist attempts are a deliberate effort to destabilize the region and sabotage any meaningful path to peace. These provocations risk igniting a catastrophic spiral of violence across the region.”

Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam, following the Ka’aba in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. It holds profound spiritual significance as the first Qibla (direction of prayer) for Muslims.

Khan urged the world to take immediate steps against Israel’s “systemic, illegal, inhumane and unlawful” aggression and protect the religious sanctity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Separately, he said, Pakistan dispatched an 18th consignment of relief goods to Gaza.

“The 18th consignment comprised 100 tons of relief goods, including ration bags, ready meals and medicines,” Pakistan’s Disaster Management Authority said.

The development came days after Israel’s military said it will open humanitarian corridors to allow aid convoys into the Gaza Strip, following an international outcry stoked by images of malnourished children in a deepening hunger crisis.

Pakistan, which does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, has consistently condemned Israeli military actions and called for the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Palestinian territory.

The South Asian country last month used its presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to refocus global attention on the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.