Even as Israel announces the ‘expanding of ground operations’ in Gaza, India is one the 45 countries that has abstained from voting in a UN General Assembly resolution for Humanitarian truce calling for an immediate ceasefire in the region at an emergency session conducted in New York on Friday afternoon. India was the only South Asian nation amongst seven to abstain while the others voted in favour of the truce.
The truce resolution proposed by Jordan calling for an instant halt to the bombardment and violations of several international humanitarian laws, urging for the unconditional release of all captive civilians and the unchecked supply of all aid and resources in the region has received the majority support of 120 member nations, while fourteen countries including Israel have voted against it.
India however voted in support of a draft amendment that sought to condemn Hamas by name for their retaliation against Israeli occupation on October 7. The amendment proposed by Canada failed to secure the majority necessary to be implemented as only 88 members voted in favour, 55 against, and 23 abstained from voting. The draft was opposed by all Arab nations with Tunisia being the only exception. The Arab world along with Russia has backed the Jordanian proposal for truce.
In its response, India’s deputy permanent representative to the UN Yojna Patel has said, “Casualties in the ongoing conflict in Gaza are a telling, serious and continuing concern. Civilians, especially women and children are paying with their lives”. “India is deeply concerned at the deteriorating security situation and astounding loss of civilian lives in the ongoing conflict”, she added saying, “escalation of hostilities in the region will only exacerbate the humanitarian crisis”. Patel has refused to explain why India has abstained from voting in favour of the ceasefire despite India’s concerns of the loss of human lives in the region. She called for peace by asking “all parties to display the utmost responsibility.”
In India’s support for the Canadian proposed amendment to condemn Hamas, Yojna Patel said, “The terror attacks in Israel on 7th October were shocking and deserve condemnation. Our thoughts are also with those taken hostages. We call for their immediate and unconditional release. Terrorism is a malignancy and knows no borders, nationality, or race. The world should not buy into any justification of terror acts. Let us keep aside differences, unite and adopt a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism.”
The situation in Gaza, Palestine has a mounting death toll that has crossed 7,500 of which more than half are children. Israel has cut off all humanitarian aid, access to clean water, medical supplies and food resources in the region. Gaza experienced the worst bombardment in the last 22 days on Friday night as Israel disconnected all electricity and telephone services, plunging the entire strip in abject darkness as it continued to shell it from all sides. Along with a series of violations of International law, Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 22 journalists with many others fearing for the lives of their families.
