India has called for a full ceasefire in Gaza, stating that temporary halts in hostilities are insufficient to address the grave humanitarian disaster unfolding in the region. The statement was made during the United Nations Security Council’s Quarterly Open Debate on the Middle East, where India emphasized the urgent need for sustained peace and relief measures, reported the Hindu.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Puri, asserted that the civilian population in Gaza is enduring unbearable conditions marked by acute shortages of food, fuel, medical aid, and access to education. “Intermittent pauses in hostilities are not enough,” he said. “The ongoing human suffering must not be allowed to continue.”
Citing alarming figures, Puri noted that nearly 95% of hospitals in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed and that over 650,000 children have been deprived of education for more than 20 months. He emphasized that only a permanent ceasefire can pave the way for adequate humanitarian assistance and long-term peace.
This statement comes in the wake of criticism India faced for abstaining from a UN General Assembly vote in June, which overwhelmingly called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza.
Ambassador Puri also called for the immediate release of all hostages and reiterated that dialogue and diplomacy are the only effective routes to resolving the crisis. “There are no other fixes or solutions,” he stressed.
Reaffirming India’s historic commitment to the Palestinian cause, Puri recalled, “We were the first non-Arab country to recognize the State of Palestine. Our commitment remains unwavering.” He highlighted India’s ongoing development projects in Palestine, worth over $40 million, which aim to enhance sectors such as health, education, and infrastructure.
India also reiterated its support for a two-State solution that envisions a sovereign, viable, and independent State of Palestine coexisting peacefully with Israel within mutually agreed and recognized borders.
Ambassador Puri welcomed the upcoming High-Level International Conference on the implementation of the two-State solution, expressing hope that it would help create a political horizon that renews hope for the Palestinian people and ensures lasting peace in the region.
Meanwhile, opposition leaders in India have sharply criticized the government’s previous reluctance to condemn Israeli actions. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh described the Modi government’s stance as “supremely indifferent,” accusing it of compromising India’s moral legacy to protect its diplomatic ties with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi also condemned the government’s silence over what she termed as “Israel’s deeply troubling and unlawful strike against Iran,” calling it “not just a loss of its voice, but a surrender of its values.”
