‘India’s stance is clear…’: India says humanitarian crisis, loss of life in Gaza unacceptable

India, at the United Nations General Assembly briefing on the Gaza crisis, said that the nation’s stance has always been clear and that the loss of lives and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is “unacceptable”. Permanent Representative of India to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj reiterated India’s position on the Gaza-Israel conflict. 

Kamboj said, “One, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to large scale loss of civilian lives, especially women and children. As I mentioned before, this has also resulted in an alarming humanitarian crisis. This is clearly unacceptable.”

She said that India has “strongly condemned” the deaths of civilians in the conflict and underscored that it is critical to prevent further escalation of violence and hostilities. “It is imperative to avoid the loss of civilian lives in any conflict situation. International law and international humanitarian law must be respected under all circumstances,” said Kamboj. 

Kamboj also stated that the entire crisis was triggered by the terror attacks on Israel on October 7, which also deserves “unequivocal condemnation”. India has a longstanding and uncompromising position against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, said Kamboj, adding that there cannot be any justification for terrorism and hostage-taking. India demands the immediate release of all hostages, she said. 

Kamboj also said that it is imperative to scale up the aid to the people of Gaza immediately.  “India has provided humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine and will continue to do so,” said Kamboj, urging all parties to come together to aid Gaza. 

“Four, as my leadership has repeatedly emphasized, only a Two-State solution, achieved through direct and meaningful negotiations between both sides on final status issues, will deliver an enduring peace. India is committed to support a two-state solution where the Palestinian people are able to live freely in an independent country within secure borders, with due regard to the security needs of Israel,” she said. 

India urged for immediate “de-escalation, eschewing violence, release of all hostages, avoiding provocative and escalatory actions, and to work towards creating conditions for an early resumption of direct peace negotiations”.

Since October 7, Israel has sealed off the Palestinian enclave, stormed most of its towns and pounded it from the sky. Palestinian authorities say more than 30,000 people have been confirmed killed, with thousands more made homeless. The United Nations says hundreds of thousands face famine. Talks began on Sunday and are billed as the final hurdle to secure a ceasefire in the five-month old war. Hamas and Egyptian mediators are going ahead with the Cairo talks, while Israel has decided to not send a delegation. Meanwhile, the US has also pressed for a truce.