‘People of India stand firmly with Israel’: PM Modi after Benjamin Netanyahu dials him on situation after Hamas attacks
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the situation in Israel.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said he received a call from his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu who informed him about the current situation in the Jewish country following attacks by terrorist group Hamas.
“I thank Prime Minister @netanyahu for his phone call and providing an update on the ongoing situation. People of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult hour. India strongly and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”, the prime minister posted on social media platform X.
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On Saturday, the day Hamas carried out coordinated attacks on Israel, PM Modi had expressed shock. Taking to social media platform X, the prime minister had said,"Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour".
The war between Israel and Hamas entered the fourth day. The toll has surpassed 1,500 on both the sides. About 900 people have died in Israel, including 260 people who were shot by Hamas gunmen at a music festival near the Gaza border. In Palestine, almost 690 people have died in the retaliatory action from Tel Aviv.
As per the United Nations Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs more than 1, 87,500 people have been displaced in Gaza since the beginning of the conflict.
“Displacement has escalated dramatically across the Gaza Strip reaching more than 187,500 since Saturday, with most taking shelter in UN schools”, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in a statement.
Overnight, Israel struck the Gaza Strip and is now building a base to accommodate thousands of soldiers in preparation for the next phase of its retaliation.
The country will respond “very severely and aggressively,” a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday, echoing comments from Benjamin Netanyahu. While the prime minister didn’t announce a ground invasion, many Israelis and Palestinians expect one.