New Delhi: Palestinian envoy Abdullah M Abu Shawesh has said that India has been supporting the Palestinians, but New Delhi "can do more" with its "heavy political weight" worldwide.
In an interview with PTI Videos on Thursday, he also recalled that Palestinian President Abbas appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently to use India's political influence to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has drawn global attention and aid agencies, including Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam, have warned that "mass starvation" is now sweeping the besieged territory.
The World Health Organization has also said a "large proportion of Gaza's population is starving", but Israel insists that Hamas is deliberately engineering the crisis. Government spokesperson David Mencer said there is "no famine caused by Israel", accusing Hamas of "looting aid and blocking distribution".
The roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict go back more than a century.
The October 7, 2023 attack exacerbated the conflict and Israel launched a massive military offensive in Gaza as part of its retaliation for the unprecedented attack on Israeli cities by Hamas.
Hamas killed around 1,200 people in Israel and abducted more than 220, some of whom were released during a brief ceasefire.
Several thousand people have been killed in Gaza in the Israeli offensive, according to Hamas-run authorities in Gaza.
India's policy towards Palestine has been longstanding. It supports a negotiated two-state solution towards the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine within secure and recognised borders, living side by side in peace with Israel.
While acknowledging India's support, Abu Shawesh expressed the hope that India, being a key player in the global political arena and with its "heavy political weight worldwide, can do more".
He claimed that his family members are enduring food shortages and a pervasive lack of essential supplies.
During an interactive session here on July 11, Abu Shawesh had said that India is "still supporting the Palestinians", referring to New Delhi's stand on the issue in global forums, such as the United Nations General Assembly.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
