India refrains from supporting UN resolution seeking truce in Gaza

New Delhi: India has refrained from supporting a United Nations resolution that called for a humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and instead chosen to abstain from voting on it at the General Assembly of the international organisation.  

The resolution was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly with 120 nations voting in favour of it. It called for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities”. Israel and the United States are among the 14 nations that voted against it. India and 44 other nations, including Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom, abstained from voting on the resolution, which was put forward by Jordan on behalf of the Arab Group, with Russia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates co-sponsoring it. France, Iran and China are among the nations, which voted in favour of it.

The resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly condemned “all acts of violence against Palestinian and Israeli civilians, including all acts of terror and indiscriminate attacks, as well as all acts of provocation, incitement and destruction”.

New Delhi, however, decided against voting in favour of the resolution as it did not include any explicit condemnation of the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on Israel on October 7.

“The terror attacks in Israel on October 7 were shocking and deserve condemnation,” Yojna Patel, Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the UN in New York, said, presenting the explanation of its vote at the general assembly.

India was the only South Asian nation that abstained from voting on the resolution. All the other nations in the region voted in favour of it.

“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,” she told the UN General Assembly.

Hamas terrorists killed 1400 people in southern Israel on October 7 and took 229 hostages.

“Our thoughts are also with those taken hostages. We call for their immediate and unconditional release,” India’s representative to the UN told the General Assembly.

The UNGA resolution, which New Delhi chose not to vote for, also called for the “immediate and unconditional release of all civilians who are being illegally held captive”. It emphasised the need for all parties to the conflict to immediately and fully comply with their obligations under international law and to protect the civilians “in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law”.

India voted in favour of an amendment proposed by Canada to include in the resolution condemnation of Hamas for the October 7 attacks in Israel. The amendment got 88 votes, but not the support of the requisite two-thirds of the 193 member nations of the UN and hence could not be adopted by the General Assembly.

Israel retaliated with airstrikes and artillery fire. The UN quoted the Hamas-run administration’s Ministry of Health to report that more than 6,546 people were killed in retaliatory offensives by Israel and that the deceased included 2,704 children, 1,584 women and 364 elderly persons. Besides, 17,439 people have been injured. “This is in addition to 1,600 reported missing, presumably under the rubble of destroyed buildings, including 900 children,” according to the latest situation report released by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East a.k.a. UNRWA. Israel has also threatened to launch a ground offensive into Gaza and ordered all civilians and UN aid workers to leave areas north of Wadi Gaza and move towards the south.   

“Casualties in the ongoing conflict in Gaza are a telling, serious and continuing concern. Civilians, especially women and children are paying with their lives,” Patel told the UNGA, adding: “This humanitarian crisis needs to be addressed. We welcome the international community’s de-escalation efforts and delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. India too has contributed to this effort.”

New Delhi on October 22 sent a military aircraft to El-Arish International Airport of Egypt with humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza.

António Guterres, the Secretary General of the UN, as well as the chiefs of the other agencies of the international organisation, have been calling for a humanitarian truce for easier movement of aid for the distressed Palestinians in Gaza.

With Israel continuing its airstrikes, some 629,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) have taken shelter in 150 UNRWA installations across the Gaza Strip.

The resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly condemned “all acts of violence against Palestinian and Israeli civilians, including all acts of terror and indiscriminate attacks, as well as all acts of provocation, incitement and destruction”.

India reiterated its support for a negotiated two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue leading to the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine living within secure and recognized borders, side-by-side in peace with Israel. “For this,” Patel told the UNGA, “we urge the parties to de-escalate, eschew violence and work towards creating conditions for an early resumption of direct peace negotiations.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had condemned the October 7 attacks launched by Hamas on Israel. “We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour,” he had posted on X. He had called the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, on October 19 and conveyed condolences at the loss of civilian lives during the recent blast at a hospital in Gaza.