During an open debate on the Middle East situation, Ambassador T S Tirumurti, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN told the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), condemned indiscriminate firing of rockets from Gaza targeting the civilian population of Israel. India also condemned the retaliatory strikes into Gaza which have caused suffering and resulted into deaths, including that of women and children.
Indiscriminate rocket firings from Gaza targeting civilian population in Israel, which we condemn, & the retaliatory strikes into Gaza, have caused immense suffering & resulted in deaths including of women & children: Permanent Representative of India to UN, TS Tirumurti (1/2) pic.twitter.com/zhRBiE2cRM
— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2021
India also mourned the loss of Kerala nurse who was killed in Israel in bombardment from Gaza. “We deeply mourn her demise along with all other civilians who have lost their lives in current cycle of violence, provocation, incitement, and destruction,” India said. Kerala nurse Soumya Santosh was on call with her husband when the rocket hit her and killed her.
We urge both sides to show extreme restraint, desist from actions that exacerbate tensions, & refrain from attempts to unilaterally change the existing status quo, including in East Jerusalem and its neighbourhood: Permanent Representative of India to UN, TS Tirumurti pic.twitter.com/MgoDfNLVKL
— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2021
“We urge both sides to show extreme restraint, desist from actions that exacerbate tensions and refrain from attempts to unilaterally change the existing status quo, including in East Jerusalem and its neighbourhood,” Tirumurti said.
Tirumurti further said that immediate de-escalation was the need of the hour. He also said that India supports the just cause of Palestinians and a two-state solution. “Jerusalem has a special place in the hearts of millions of Indians, who visit the city every year. The Old City also houses the Al Zawiyya Al Hindiyya – The Indian Hospice, which is a historic place associated with a great Indian Sufi saint Baba Farid. India has restored this Indian Hospice,” he added.
“Leaders on all sides have a responsibility to curb inflammatory rhetoric and calm the rising tensions,” he said.
