Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, India on Thursday called for immediate and unconditional release of hostages while also urged to de-escalate the situation to resume direct peace negotiations towards a two state solution. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that India has also shared its concern over the rising death toll of civilians during conflict.“We (India) made our position very clear on multiple occasions during the UNGA debate. We have strongly condemned the horrific attack on Israel, urged the need for zero tolerance for terrorism and called for immediate and unconditional release of hostages,” he said while strongly condemning the barbaric Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
Reiterating India’s stand for supporting a two-state solution for resolving the Isreal-Palestine issue, Bagchi said, “We have also conveyed our deep concern at the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the increasing civilian toll and welcomed efforts to de-escalate the situation and provide humanitarian assistance. We have also urged the parties to de-escalate violence and work towards creating conditions for early resumption of direct peace negotiations towards a two-state solution.”