Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged for the release of hostages and a de-escalation of tensions in West Asia during a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday.
Reaffirming India’s stance, PM Modi emphasized the need for the immediate release of all hostages and the continuation of humanitarian assistance to those affected. He also called for an early and peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy.
It’s been 10 months since the Gaza conflict began, with airstrikes, artillery shells, and severe shortages of medicine, food, and clean water devastating one of the world’s most densely populated areas.
On Tuesday, Hamas launched two rockets at Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial hub, following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza that killed at least 19 Palestinians. This was the first instance since May that Hamas claimed responsibility for rocket attacks on Tel Aviv.
According to reports citing the Israeli military, there were no casualties in Israel from the rockets fired from Gaza; one fell into the sea, and the other failed to reach Israeli territory.
Israel has consistently stated that it takes extensive measures to avoid civilian casualties, accusing Hamas of using civilians as human shields.
Earlier on Monday, the US confirmed that the Gaza ceasefire talks scheduled for Thursday would proceed as planned, with an agreement still considered possible. A media report indicated that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to travel on Tuesday for discussions in Qatar, Egypt, and Israel.
The Israeli government announced it would send a delegation to Thursday’s talks to finalize the details of the proposed agreement.
However, Hamas is insisting on a practical plan to implement the proposal presented by US President Joe Biden in May, rather than engaging in further discussions.
