New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a telephonic conversation on Tuesday during which Modi expressed grief over the deaths due to the Hamas attack in Israel and assured it of all possible support.
“I thank Prime Minister @netanyahu for his phone call and providing an update on the ongoing situation. The people of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult hour. India strongly and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” Modi wrote on X.
Modi was among the first few world leaders to express solidarity with Israel immediately after news of the Hamas attack broke on Saturday.
Modi expressed his deep condolences and sympathy for those killed and wounded, the PMO said in a statement, and highlighted the issue of safety and security of Indian citizens in Israel. Netanyahu assured him of his full cooperation and support.
About 18,000 Indians are in Israel as students, caregivers, professionals or tourists. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has urged external affairs minister S. Jaishankar to ensure the safety of Indian citizens in Israel as the war between Hamas and the Israeli defence forces escalates.
Expressing concern over the plight of Indian nationals in Israel, Vijayan said about 7,000 of them are from Kerala and the continuing hostilities were putting them to extreme hardship and their family members were in a state of extreme anxiety. “I request your good self to intervene in every possible manner to ensure the safety of our citizens in Israel,” Vijayan said in his letter dated October 9.
A Kerala-based woman working as a caregiver in Israel was also seriously injured in the Hamas attack and is hospitalised.
Palestinian ambassador to India Adnan Abu Alhaija said that India, being a friend of both Israel and Palestine, is in a better position to negotiate peace and defuse the crisis. Alhaija said India can get in touch with European countries, the United States and West Asia nations to build “pressure” on the Israelis to work towards peace, which, he said, it was refusing to do so far.
The ambassador noted that India has been supportive of the Palestinian cause. “India is a very important country. I think (India) can lead in this matter… India can play a good role,” he said. To a question whether he was pitching for India to play the role of a mediator, he responded: “(I) hope so.”
Asked if he had conveyed this to the Indian government or to the external affairs ministry, Alhaija said he had asked for it around two years ago.
Calling for a permanent solution to the Palestinian issue, Alhaija said the current hostilities may end after some time, but it may recur in the absence of a resolution of the long-pending issue.
