Israel-Hamas conflict: BRICS for immediate de-escalation; India asserts ‘hostage taking is unacceptable’
BRICS Summit
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, November 21: The BRICS Leaders on Tuesday held an extraordinary virtual meeting called by South Africa to press for an immediate cessation of Israel-Hamas conflict and human sufferings in Gaza. The meeting came amid reports that Israel and Hamas are close to a breakthrough in the negotiations for the release of the Israeli hostages, which are being facilitated by Qatar.
While heads of the states of the BRICS nations took part in the exchange of notes in the virtual mode, India was represented by External Affairs Minister Subhramanyam Jaishankar in the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had scheduled election engagements in Rajasthan. While China sought convening an immediate meeting of an international peace conference for an “authoritative” mandate, India underlined that the trigger to the ongoing conflict was the October 7 terror attacks on Israel.
The BRICS Summit also came amid the Foreign Ministers of the Arabian nations embarking on a whirlwind tour, beginning from China and subsequent visit to Russia, to press for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict. While Chinese President Xi Jinping in his remark condemned the “collective punishments against the civilians in Gaza”, Israel has made it clear that Tel Aviv seeks dismantling of Hamas.
“The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza is causing immense human suffering, including to civilians, elderly, women and children. We welcome all efforts of the international community towards de-escalation. Right now, there is an urgent need to ensure that humanitarian aid and relief effectively and safely reach the population of Gaza. It is also imperative that all hostages are released. We believe that there is a universal obligation to observe international humanitarian law,” said Jaishankar.
He also stated that “we are all aware that the immediate crisis was triggered by the terrorist attack of 7th October. Where terrorism itself is concerned, none of us should or can compromise with it. Hostage taking is equally unacceptable and cannot be condoned. Subsequent developments have deepened our concern even more as we witness large scale civilian casualties and a humanitarian crisis. We strongly condemn any death of civilians.”
Xi in his remarks stated that the “parties to the conflict must end hostilities and achieve a ceasefire immediately, stop all violence and attacks against civilians, release civilians held captive, and act to prevent loss of more lives and spare people from more miseries”.
“Humanitarian corridors must be kept secure and unimpeded, and more humanitarian assistance should be provided to the population in Gaza. The collective punishment of people in Gaza in the form of forced transfer or water, electricity and fuel deprivation must stop,” said Xi, adding that “the international community must act with practical measures to prevent the conflict from spilling over and endangering stability in the Middle East as a whole”. Xi also underlined that “China calls for early convening of an international peace conference that is more authoritative to build international consensus for peace and work toward an early solution to the question of Palestine that is comprehensive, just and sustainable.”
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