Live | Day 6: India supports establishment of independent state of Palestine, says MEA
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed America's unwavering support for Israel’s right to defend itself from terrorism
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Thursday said India supports the establishment of a "sovereign, independent and viable" state of Palestine.
Speaking at a press conference today, Bagchi said, "Our policy has been longstanding and consistent. India always advocated the resumption of direct negotiations towards establishing a sovereign, independent and viable state of Palestine, living within secure and recognised borders, side by side at peace with Israel. I think that position remains the same."
When asked about the humanitarian situation in Israel and Gaza, Bagchi said that there was a universal obligation to observe humanitarian law. "There is also the responsibility to fight the menace of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations," he said.
This is the first reaction from the MEA since the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said India stands firmly with Israel in this hour of conflict.
Blinken's assurance
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reassured Israel in Tel Aviv on Wednesday (October 12) that the country will always have American support, promising they won't have to defend themselves alone as long as America exists.
He visited Israel following Hamas's devastating attack in southern Israel, where over 1,300 people, mostly civilians, were killed.
Blinken expressed horror at the casualties, referred to the Holocaust and his family's experiences during the Nazi era, and affirmed his active efforts to prevent the escalation of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Federal reports on the Israel-Hamas war
Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf's wife, Nadia El-Nakla, revealed that her parents are trapped in Gaza amid Israeli air strikes, and they express feeling terrified and fearing for their lives. Due to the power outage caused by Israel's electricity cut in response to Hamas' attack, her parents are even discussing saving phone batteries.
Among the 1,417 casualties from Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, there are 447 children and 248 women.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas held talks with Jordan's King Abdullah in Amman, where he demanded an immediate cessation of Israel's actions in Gaza, urged for humanitarian aid, water, electricity, and the opening of urgent humanitarian corridors. Abbas also expressed his rejection of civilian abuse on both sides, stressing on their their commitment to peaceful methods and international legitimacy. He is set to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Blinken in Amman on Friday.
The Israeli Energy Minister declared that his country would withhold essential resources, such as electricity, fuel, and humanitarian aid, from Gaza until all individuals held captive by Hamas were released. In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Minister Israel Katz emphasized, "No humanitarian assistance will reach Gaza, no electricity will flow, no water will be provided, and no fuel will be delivered until the Israeli abductees are safely returned home."
סיוע הומניטרי לעזה? אף מתג חשמל לא יורם, שיבר מים לא יפתח ומשאית דלק לא תיכנס עד להשבת החטופים הישראלים הביתה. הומניטרי תמורת הומניטרי. ושאף אחד לא יטיף לנו מוסר.
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) October 12, 2023
Taiwan is closely watching the war in the Middle East sparked by the unprecedented attack on Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza for lessons amid what the self-governing island says is a campaign of intimidation and threats by China, reports Associated Press (AP).
Taiwanese Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said on Thursday that the Hamas-Israel war "blew up so suddenly”, prompting Taiwan to up its ability to forecast possible threats.
“We've established a working group to study and ... reinforce the importance of collecting intelligence,” he said ahead of a meeting of the legislature.
China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, has conducted increasingly large military drills in the air and waters around Taiwan as tensions have grown between the two and with the United States.
The first charter flight to facilitate the return of Indian citizens stranded in Israel will leave Thursday evening from the Ben Gurion airport, sources said, amid the country’s raging war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
About 230 Indians living in Israel will be leaving for India on a "first come first serve" basis on the 9 PM flight on Thursday, a PTI report said citing sources
This flight has been arranged to facilitate the return of those who were unable to do so because Air India had immediately suspended its flight on the day fighting began on October 7, and its commercial operation remains suspended till now.
Those who are returning will not be paying any fare and the government is bearing the cost of their return.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “crush and destroy” Hamas with the support of a new war cabinet formed Wednesday that includes a longtime opposition critic. “Every Hamas member is a dead man,” Netanyahu said in a televised address.
Israel launched new airstrikes and said it was preparing for a possible ground invasion.
US President Joe Biden spoke with United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed on Wednesday about ensuring humanitarian assistance reaches those in need as the war between Israel and Hamas extends into a fifth day, the White House said. The UAE was the first Gulf country to normalize relations with Israel in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords, which saw Bahrain and Morocco also establish diplomatic ties with Israel.