India has voiced deep concern over the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and called for a full ceasefire, stating that intermittent pauses in hostilities are simply not enough to address the severe challenges faced by the people in the region. "Today's meeting takes place against the backdrop of a persisting humanitarian crisis in Gaza," said India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, during an open debate at the UN Security Council on Wednesday. He made the remarks during discussions on the agenda titled 'Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.'
Temporary pauses are not enough
Highlighting the scale of human suffering in the region, Harish stressed that temporary pauses in fighting fall far short of what is required. "Intermittent pauses in hostilities are not enough to address the scale of humanitarian challenges confronting the people, who grapple daily with acute shortages of food and fuel, inadequate medical services and lack of access to education," he stated.
Ceasefire, hostage release, dialogue urged
Underlining that the way ahead is clear and highlighting India’s consistent position in this regard, Harish said the ongoing human suffering must not be allowed to continue. "Humanitarian assistance needs to be facilitated in a safe, sustained and timely manner. There is no substitute to peace. A ceasefire must be put in place. All hostages must be released. Dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable paths to achieving these objectives. There are no other fixes or solutions," he said.
India reaffirms support for Palestine
He also expressed hope that an upcoming UN conference on the Israel-Palestine conflict would pave the way for “concrete steps" towards achieving a two-State solution. Harish told the Council debate, held under Pakistan’s presidency of the Security Council for the month of July, that India shares historic and strong ties with its Palestinian brothers and sisters. "We have always stood by them and our commitment towards the Palestinian cause is unwavering," he said, noting that India was the first non-Arab country to recognise the State of Palestine.
Gaza's health and education crisis
Describing the health and education situation in Gaza as "particularly troubling", Harish said the World Health Organisation estimates that around 95 per cent of all hospitals in Gaza are damaged or destroyed. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reports that more than 650,000 children have had no schooling for over 20 months, he said. Harish said that India takes note of the High-Level International Conference on the implementation of a two-State solution scheduled for July 28-30.
UN chief backs two-state solution
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has stressed that it is essential to keep alive the two-State solution perspective “with all the terrible things we are witnessing in Gaza and the West Bank. "And for those who doubt about the two-state solution, I ask: What is the alternative? Is it a one-state solution in which either the Palestinians are expelled or the Palestinians will be forced to live in their land without rights? That would be totally unacceptable. I firmly believe that it is the duty of the international community to keep the two-State solution alive and then to materialise the conditions to make it happen," he had said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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