India on Tuesday joined the General Assembly’s call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, reversing its earlier position of abstaining. India’s Permanent Representative to UN, Ruchira Kamboj, said that India faced the “challenge” to “strike the right balance” among the various factors involved in the situation.
She said that India welcomed the fact that the international community had found a common ground to address the multiple challenges facing the region right now. She listed the challenges as the terrorist attack in Israel on October 7, the concern for the hostages taken by Hamas, the enormous humanitarian crisis and the large-scale loss of civilian lives in Gaza, the issue of observing international humanitarian law in all circumstances, and the endeavour to find a peaceful and lasting two-state solution to the long-standing Palestine question.
The resolution, presented by Egypt and Mauritania with scores of co-sponsors, was adopted on Tuesday with 153 votes in favour, 10 against and 23 abstentions. The resolution is only symbolic, as it does not have enforcement powers like the Security Council. The resolution also demanded the release of all hostages and called on all parties to comply with their international obligations, especially for protecting civilians and ensuring humanitarian access for relief to Gaza.