India has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, releasing the hostages to address uninterrupted humanitarian aid and intensive crisis in the region. Speaking in a quarterly open debate in the Middle East of the United Nations Security Council, India’s permanent representative for UN Ambassador Parvathani Harish said that it is not enough to address the humanitarian situation that only stayed in hostility.
Harish said, “An intermittent stop in enmity is not enough to address the scale of human challenges, who face people facing people who face food and fuel decreased daily with lack of rapid shortage of food and fuel, inadequate medical services and access to education.”
He expressed concern over the collapse of healthcare and education systems in Gaza.
He said, “WHO estimates that about 95 percent of all hospitals in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed. The report of Hyse Rights for Human Rights states that more than 6,50,000 children have no school education for more than 20 months,” he said.
For immediate international action, Harish said, “The ongoing human suffering should not be allowed. Humanitarian aid is required to make a safe, continuous and timely accessible manner. There is no alternative to peace. A ceasefire must be established.
Harish also reiterated Palestine’s historical support to Palestine.
“India shares historical and strong ties with our Palestinian brothers and sisters. We have always stood by them, and our commitment to Palestinian cause is unwavering. We were the first non-Arab countries to recognize the state of Palestine.”
He said that India is currently implementing development projects worth more than USD 40 million to support Palestinians through direct assistance and participation with organizations such as UNRWA.
Harish said, “India reiterated that the path to end peace lies in a two-state solution, which establishes within a sovereign, viable and independent state Palestine within a recognized and mutually agreed boundaries, which peacefully stays shoulder to shoulder with Israel,” Harish said.
He also welcomed the upcoming high-level international conference on the two-state solution, expressing that it would create a “concrete steps” towards peace.
Harish said, “India underlines his readiness to contribute to the efforts to shape a political horizon that restores hope for the Palestinians and receives continuous peace in the Middle East,” Harish said.
Meanwhile, Israel clearly dismissed the statements made by several international organizations on the supply of human aid to Gaza. In a statement, the Israeli Foreign Ministry accused these organizations of “serving Hamas”.
The ministry said, “These organizations are serving the promotion of Hamas, using their numbers and justifying their magnitude. Instead of challenging the terrorist organization, they embrace it as their own,” the ministry said.
Israel said that such statements were harming the ongoing conversation for a ceasefire. “In this important time of conversation, they are echoing Hamas’s promotion and damaging opportunities for a ceasefire.”
According to the statement, about 4,500 trucks have entered Gaza in the formula of food, flour and child. Israel said more than 700 aid trucks are currently inside Gaza, but are waiting for the United Nations to be picked up.
The statement said that this bottleneck is the main obstacle to maintain the frequent flow of human aid in the Gaza Strip. (AI)
