India condemns dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza as Israel-Hamas war intensifies

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Against the context of Israel's military operation against Hamas in Gaza, India has denounced the conflict's civilian casualties and called the humanitarian catastrophe it has created in the area "simply unacceptable."

Per an ANI report, "The conflict in Gaza has been going on for over seven months, and the humanitarian crisis it has triggered has been increasing. There is also the potential for growing instability in the region and beyond. In this context, we view the UNSC's adoption of resolution 2728 as a positive step," India's permanent representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj said at the 10th UNGA Emergency Special Session on Palestine.

"Our leadership has repeatedly stated India's view on the crisis clearly and concisely: First, many thousands of civilian lives, particularly women and children, have been lost as a result of the ongoing battle between Israel and Hamas. The humanitarian catastrophe that has resulted is intolerable. We have vehemently denounced the conflict's civilian casualties. Everyone must uphold international humanitarian law and international law in all situations," she continued.

Highlighting the October 7 attack on Israel, Kamboj also asserted that the Hamas attack on Israel also deserves equivocal condemnation of the forum and that there is no justification for terrorism and hostage-taking. "We strongly object to the horrific terror attacks that occurred in Israel on October 7. Terrorism and hostage-taking cannot have a justification. India demands the immediate and unconditional release of all captives, citing its long-standing and unwavering opposition to terrorism in all of its forms and manifestations" she added.

"Humanitarian conditions in Gaza are truly dire. Increased humanitarian aid to the Gaza population is urgently needed to prevent the situation from getting worse. We encourage those involved to work together on this project. In this sense, we applaud the UN's and the international community's efforts. India has given and will keep giving humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people. We note that the Israeli government has lately made it easier for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza," she said.

Reiterating India's stand on the two-state solution of the matter, she also urged the conflicting parties to engage as soon as possible for direct peace negotiations. "My leadership has repeatedly emphasized that only a Two-State solution, achieved through direct and meaningful negotiations between both sides on final status issues, will deliver an enduring peace," she said.

"With due consideration for Israel's security needs, India is committed to supporting a Two-State solution in which the Palestinian people can live freely in an independent nation within secure borders. We implore all sides to create an environment that is favourable to starting direct peace talks as soon as possible to reach a long-term resolution," she continued.

Furthermore, India expressed its continued support for Palestine's application for full membership in the UN and expressed the hope that the body will give Palestine's application another look. She said, "We have voted in favour of this Resolution because we support Palestine's membership in the UN, in line with our long-standing attitude. We hope that Palestine's application will be given more consideration by the Security Council eventually and that its efforts to join the UN will be approved."

(With inputs from ANI)