Palestinians have been deprived of their rights, homeland: Jaishankar amid Israel-Hamas war

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday gave a strong statement on the Israel-Palestine issue, expressing concern over the increasing deaths of civilians in Gaza. “It is true that Palestinians have been deprived of their rights and their homeland,” he said. His comments came when the Ministry of External Affairs was interacting with the Indian community during an event in Malaysia.

Jaishankar said the October 7 move was a ‘terrorist attack’, but he also acknowledged that “every response must take into account something called international humanitarian law” regarding the Israeli retaliatory strike in Gaza.

“There could 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. In the minds of countries, there could be justification for reacting, But you can’t do that.” The response is that…every response must take into account something called international humanitarian law,” Jaishankar said, news agency ANI quoted him as saying.

Jaishankar 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.”

On October 7, Hamas attacked Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, of whom, according to records, more than 100 are still in captivity.

In response, Israel launched a counter-attack in the Gaza Strip, targeting Hamas units. The operation has also resulted in civilian casualties. Media reports quoting Gaza’s health ministry say more than 32,000 people, including women and children, have been killed in Gaza.

It is to be noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first global leaders to condemn the attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7. India continues to throw its weight behind a ‘two-state solution’ to the long-running Israel-Palestine conflict.

Meanwhile, Jaishankar is on an official visit to Malaysia, followed by Singapore and the Philippines.

Earlier in the day, he called Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and praised his vision of strengthening ties between India and Malaysia. He also said that this approach will serve as a catalyst for the development of a more ambitious agenda to advance bilateral relations.

He also held a roundtable meeting with Malaysian CEOs who expressed growing interest in collaborating with Indian industries.