The ministry of external affairs said on Thursday that India has always underlined the need for humanitarian relief and de-escalation in the Israel-Hamas war triggered by the October 7 attacks. Asked about the storming of Al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces, spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said it is not just about one specific facility.
Bagchi said India has given humanitarian aid to Palestine and also condemned the terror attack by the Hamas militant group. “This is not about one specific facility; India has always underlined the need for civilian casualties to be avoided, for humanitarian law to be observed. It has encouraged efforts to provide relief, de-escalate, humanitariam assistance and has expressed concerns over the increasing civilian toll. India also sent 38 tonnes of relief material and more aid is on the way…” he said.
Israel continued its operation at the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Wednesday night (November 15). The country has maintained that the hospital was being used as a base by Hamas, which killed around 1,400 people in Israel and kidnapped more than 220 others. Around 11,500 people have been killed in Gaza in the Israeli offensive. There has been mounting criticism of Israel for the death of a large number of civilians, including women and children, in Gaza in its military operations.
The MEA official said the second ‘Voice of Global South Summit’ is being held in virtual mode on Friday (November 17), whose inaugural session will be led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Replying to a question if the Israel and Palestine issue will be discussed at the event, Bagchi said: “…Of course, the challenges posed by global developments are also likely to be discussed. As I said, every country is free to say something that they feel bothers them. But I’m sure like in all high-level interactions, each participant will share their own perspective. The objective is to hear from the Global South Summit…”
The summit will have four sessions by the ministers of external affairs, information technology, education, finance and environment. There are four more sessions in the afternoon by the ministers of energy, health and commerce. “Second Voice of Global South Summit is being held in virtual mode tomorrow. The inaugural session led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will commence at 10 am. This will be followed by four parallel ministerial sessions beginning at 12.30 pm. These will include the sessions by EAM, IT, education, finance and environment. In the afternoon, four more parallel ministerial sessions are scheduled. These will begin at 4 pm. These will include the sessions again by EAM as by the ministers of energy, health and commerce. And, finally, there’ll be a leader session again, a concluding session at 6.30 pm,” he added.
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