The UN General Assembly meeting was addressed by India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Kamboj, who stated that the humanitarian crisis has worsened and that instability has been rising in the area and abroad.Calling the resolution passed by the UN Security Council demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for the month of Ramadan a “positive step,” India said that the humanitarian disaster stemming from the continuous fighting between Israel and Hamas is “simply unacceptable.”We are extremely disturbed by the continuing hostilities in Gaza. During a UN General Assembly meeting here on Monday, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, stated that the humanitarian crisis has worsened and that instability has been rising throughout the region and beyond.
According to her, India sees the UN Security Council’s passage of a resolution on March 25 as “a positive step.”
According to Kamboj, a significant number of civilian deaths—particularly those of women and children—have resulted from the continuous battle between Israel and Hamas.
“It is imperative to prevent the loss of civilian lives in any conflict situation,” she continued, adding that Delhi has severely denounced the killings of civilians in the fighting. “The resulting humanitarian crisis is simply unacceptable,” she said.
An “immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a lasting sustainable ceasefire” was called for in the UNSC resolution that was adopted last month.
Along with requesting humanitarian access to meet their medical and other needs, it also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. The resolution’s approval was a turning point in the Israel-Hamas conflict, which had lasted for more than five months at the time.
The resolution, proposed by the 10 non-permanent elected members of the Council, was approved by the 15-nation Council with 14 votes in favor, 0 against, and the US, a permanent member, abstaining.As stated by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the “long-awaited” decision regarding Gaza needs to be put into effect. “Failure would be unforgivable.” However, on March 22, just three days before the Council adopted the resolution, China and Russia, permanent members, vetoed an alternative resolution that the US had proposed regarding Gaza. The “imperative” for “an immediate and sustained ceasefire to protect civilians on all sides” had been declared by the US-led draft. Beijing’s and Moscow’s veto started the General Assembly debate since the 193-member UN body’s president is required to call a meeting within 10 working days of a veto being filed in the Council.
Kamboj emphasized that India’s government has made clear what the country’s stance is on the dispute multiple times.
She emphasized that terror acts and hostage-taking are unacceptable and that the terror attacks that occurred on October 7, 2018, in Israel, were horrifying and deserving of “our unequivocal condemnation.” “India has a long-standing and uncompromising position against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and we demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” Kamboj stated.
India expressed worry about the “dire” humanitarian situation in Gaza and emphasized the need to urgently increase humanitarian help to the people living there to prevent the situation from getting worse.
Kamboj praised the UN’s and the international community’s efforts to promote peace in the area.
She said that India has helped the Palestinian people humanitarianly and “will continue to do so.” Indian officials have emphasized time and time again that an enduring peace can only be realized by a two-state solution reached via substantive and direct negotiations between both sides on final status issues.
“We are committed to supporting a two-state solution where the Palestinian people can live freely in an independent country within secure borders while taking Israel’s security needs into consideration,” stated Kamboj. He also urged all parties to create an environment that will facilitate the early resumption of direct peace negotiations.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that at least 33,207 Palestinians had died and 75,933 had been injured in Gaza in the six months between October 7, 2023, and the afternoon of April 8, citing the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Gaza.
The Gaza Government Media Office reports that 9,560 women and almost 14,500 children were among the dead.
Over 1,200 foreign nationals and Israelis, including 33 children, have died in Israel; the majority of these deaths occurred on October 7, 2017, when Hamas carried out the horrific terror assaults against Israel.
Dennis Francis, the president of the 78th UN General Assembly session, expressed his sincere concern that the Assembly must regularly convene on veto initiatives “because of the Security Council’s persistent incapacity to speak with one voice on matters of grave importance.” “Once again, we convene under this initiative as conflict in Gaza rages into its sixth bloody month, as death and destruction rule the day, and as divisions among Member States, especially in the Council, persist,” he stated.The Gaza crisis, according to Francis, is a “blight on our common humanity.” After Ramadan concludes on April 9, millions of people worldwide will celebrate Eid-al-Fitr in the comfort of their own homes, according to Francis, “while Gazans will again offer prayers on the ruins of mosques and their obliterated homes.” He urged the members of the Security Council to “meaningfully use their power in support of an immediate ceasefire on the ground, and importantly, a lasting ceasefire.”