Vishwakhabram: ‘Motherland was snatched from Palestinians’, what did External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar say amid Israel-Hamas war? Israel-Hamas war

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has expressed concern over the death of civilians in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, saying that Palestinians have been deprived of their homeland. He also urged Israel to comply with international humanitarian law in the ongoing retaliation following the deadly October 7 attack by Hamas. However, S Jaishankar acknowledged that the October 7 attack was “terrorism”.

What did Foreign Minister S Jaishankar say on Palestine amid Israel-Hamas war?

S Jaishankar made this statement while interacting with the Indian community at an event in Malaysia. S Jaishankar was quoted by news agency ANI as saying “There can be so many different pulls and pressures. On the one hand, what happened on October 7 was terrorism. On the other hand, no one will tolerate the death of innocent civilians. Countries can be justified in their own minds in responding, But you can’t do that.” A response that…every response must take into account something called international humanitarian law.

He said, “The fact is that whatever the rights and wrongs of the issue, there is an underlying issue of the rights of the Palestinians and the fact that they have been deprived of their homeland.” India continues to support the ‘two-state solution’ to the long-running Israel-Palestine conflict. Meanwhile, the External Affairs Minister held a roundtable meeting with CEOs of various companies in Malaysia and appreciated their growing interest in partnering with Indian industries.

What was the October 7 attack?

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a deadly attack in the southern part of Israel. Hamas terrorists killed hundreds of civilians, including women and children, in the attack. The militants also took more than 200 Israelis hostage, many of whom are still in their custody in Gaza. This terrible attack was called “7th October Attack”.

Israel retaliated by launching a major military offensive against Hamas in Gaza, leading to the Israel–Hamas War. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the military strike aimed to free all hostages under Hamas custody and “completely destroy” the terrorist network in Gaza.

In the ongoing war, a brief ceasefire was reached in November, during which approximately a hundred hostages in Hamas custody were released in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. However, since then, efforts and negotiations to secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages and stop the war have failed. According to the Gaza Ministry, more than 32,000 people have died in Gaza as a result of the war.

Answer given to China from Philippines

Earlier, Jaishankar had visited Philippines during his visit to ASEAN countries. There he worked towards improving India’s relations with the Philippines and also helped China respond to the Maldives issue with his diplomatic acumen. India strongly supports the Philippines in maintaining its national sovereignty, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday, publicly laying out the country’s stand on the South China Sea issue. He made this comment at a time when the Philippines and China are currently embroiled in a border dispute over this resource-rich area. Jaishankar made these comments at a joint press conference with Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo in Manila. “I take this opportunity to strongly reiterate India’s support to the Philippines in upholding its national sovereignty,” Jaishankar said, perhaps for the first time indicating India’s stance on the South China Sea issue.