India's envoy at UN urges 'immediate' increase in Gaza aid, says humanitarian crisis 'unacceptable'
UNITED NATIONS: India is "deeply troubled" by the conflict in Gaza that has raged on for nearly five months now, the country's envoy to the UN has said, asserting that the loss of civilian lives and the resulting humanitarian crisis is "clearly unacceptable."
India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, said this while addressing a UN General Assembly meeting on the 'Use of Veto' on Monday.
“The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to large-scale loss of civilian lives, especially women and children... This has also resulted in an alarming humanitarian crisis. This is clearly unacceptable,” Kamboj told the UNGA.
She said that India has been "deeply troubled by the conflict in Gaza that has been raging for nearly five months now."
"The humanitarian crisis has deepened, and the region and beyond have seen rising instability,” India's top diplomat to the UN said.
The General Assembly held the plenary debate on the ‘Use of the veto' after the US cast a veto in the UN Security Council last month, leading to the failure of the Council to adopt a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza war.
Kamboj told the UNGA that India's position on the conflict has been clear, and New Delhi has strongly condemned the deaths of civilians in the conflict. “It is critical to prevent further escalation of violence and hostilities. It is imperative to avoid the loss of civilian lives in any conflict situation,” she said.
Kamboj underlined that humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza must be scaled up immediately to avert a further deterioration in the situation. She urged all parties to come together in this endeavour and welcomed the efforts of the UN and the international community.
"India has provided humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine and will continue to do so," she said.
Kamboj said India is cognizant of the fact that the immediate trigger of the conflict was the terror attacks in Israel on October 7, which were “shocking and deserve our unequivocal condemnation.
"India has a longstanding and uncompromising position against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. There can be no justifications for terrorism and hostage-taking. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” she said.
India has repeatedly emphasised that only a two-state solution, achieved through direct and meaningful negotiations between both sides on final status issues, will deliver an enduring peace.
“India is committed to supporting a two-state solution where the Palestinian people are able to live freely in an independent country within secure borders, with due regard to the security needs of Israel.”
Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj
To arrive at a lasting solution, India urged for immediate de-escalation, eschewing violence, the release of all hostages, avoiding provocative and escalatory actions, and working towards creating conditions for an early resumption of direct peace negotiations.
Separately, addressing a special meeting of the General Assembly on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Kamboj said that recent allegations that some employees of the agency may have been involved in the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel are a “matter of serious concern."
However, she added, “We are also positively considering specific requests from the UNRWA for assistance in kind. We urge utmost diligence in the utilisation of this assistance.”
Noting the constitution of an independent review group led by the former Foreign Minister of France, Catherine Colonna, to go into the workings of the UNRWA, Kamboj said India looks forward to getting these reports.
“We have noted that the Secretary-General has announced a time-bound investigation into all such allegations,” Kamboj said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “horrified” by the “extremely serious allegations” that implicate several UNRWA staff members in the terror attacks of October 7 in Israel.
In consultation with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, the Secretary-General appointed an independent review group to assess whether the agency was doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they were made.
The UN has said it is taking swift action following the allegations, and an investigation by the UN's Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) was immediately activated.
UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis warned that UNRWA was in danger of “imminent collapse” and that it “may not survive without our immediate and decisive action.”
Sixteen countries led by the US have cut off aid amounting to over $400 million to UNRWA in the wake of the allegations against it.
Kamboj reiterated India’s support for the agency, which serves the needs of Palestinian refugees and contributes to “overall stability in the region.”
She said that India has provided humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine and will continue to do so. “We are also positively considering specific requests from UNRWA for assistance in kind. We urge utmost diligence in the utilisation of this assistance,” she said.
As a mark of solidarity with the Palestinian refugees, Kamboj said India enhanced its annual contribution to the agency from USD 1.25 million to USD 5 million in 2018.
India has given USD 27.5 million to UNRWA since 2018 to support the agency's core programmes and services, including education, healthcare, relief, and social services provided to Palestinian refugees.
In November 2023, India donated USD 2.5 million to UNRWA for humanitarian assistance in Gaza as part of its yearly contribution and further delivered 32 tonnes of humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine via the El-Arish Airport in Egypt.
UNRWA is at the centre of efforts to provide humanitarian relief in Gaza, where aid groups warn of a looming famine after nearly five months of war between Israel and the Islamist group.
The agency said on Monday that members of its staff had been tortured by Israel, with Israel's army accusing the agency of employing more than 450 "terrorists."
Gazans detained by Israeli forces are coming back "completely traumatised" upon release and reporting abuses while in captivity, the head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency said.
Detainees reported being subjected to a "broad range of ill-treatment," including threats of electrocution, being photographed naked, sleep deprivation and having dogs used to intimidate them, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini told a media briefing.
"We have seen these people coming back from detention, some of them for a couple of weeks, some of them for a couple of months, and most of them coming back (are) completely traumatised by the ordeal they have gone through," Lazzarini said.
The comments follow reporting by the New York Times on an internal investigation compiled by UNRWA staff documenting the state of returning detainees at the Kerem Shalom border.
Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed 30,534 people, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.
Around 250 hostages were taken by militants, 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 31 presumed dead, according to Israel.
(With inputs from PTI, AFP and IANS)