The United Nations General Assembly Saturday passed a resolution calling for immediate humanitarian ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. However, India decided to abstain in the UNGA on the Jordanian-drafted resolution that didn’t mention the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Speaking about India’s decision to abstain, India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Yojna Patel said that India hoped UN would send a clear message on terror while addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“We hope that the deliberations of this assembly will send a clear message against terror and violence and expand prospects for diplomacy and dialogue while addressing the humanitarian crisis that confronts us,” Patel said.
She further added that the world should not buy into any justification of terrorist act, an apparent reference to UN Chief Antonio Guterres’ remarks in which he appeared to justify the October 7 Hamas attack. Guterres had said that “Hamas attack didn’t occur in vaccum”.
“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,” Patel added.
More than 1,400 people, including children, women and foreign nationals were killed after thousands of Hamas militants invaded southern Israel and rampaged through communities and Jewish Kibbutz. The terrorist brutally murdered civilians and Israel has claimed, they even killed babies.
The militants also kidnapped about 226 people after the attack.
In response, Israel declared a war again Hamas and launched massive air bombardment on militant targets in the Gaza Strip.
The UN resolution comes after Israel announced to intensify it’s strikes in the Gaza Strip as they expanded their ground operations.