As Israel renewed its bombardment of Gaza this week, killing over 700 Palestinians and wounding nearly 900 more within 48 hours, according to hospital officials in the besieged enclave, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) response has been notably muted. When New Delhi finally broke its silence on March 19th, more than 36 hours after the initial assault began, it did so with remarkable brevity. India’s response to Israel’s renewed Gaza attacks showed that it’s keen to support Israel, ignoring the public sentiment in the Global South.
“We are concerned at the situation in Gaza,” read the three-line statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). “It is important that all hostages are released.” The statement added a perfunctory call for “humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza to be sustained.”
What the statement did not mention speaks volumes. There was no reference to Israel violating ceasefire agreements, no condemnation of civilian casualties, and no call for an immediate cessation of hostilities. By emphasising hostage releases without specifying which side should act—even as Hamas has periodically freed prisoners while Israel has repeatedly stepped back from ceasefire conditions—New Delhi effectively shifts responsibility toward the Palestinian side.
This positioning aligns neatly with Israeli narratives and reflects the strengthening ties between Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s government and Benjamin Netanyahu‘s administration. The relationship has flourished even as it increasingly contradicts India’s longstanding official position supporting a peaceful two-state solution—a stance Mr Modi reaffirmed when meeting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the United Nations General Assembly last year, but which his government has since been reluctant to mention.
The timing of India’s reticence is particularly noteworthy. Mr Modi has recently sought to portray himself as a global peacemaker, particularly regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Although he was an uninvited party to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he insisted on becoming a peacemaker. However, neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor US President Donald Trump allowed him to play that role.
Yet when it comes to West Asia, when it comes to Palestine, where India has historical ties with the stakeholders, New Delhi appears decidedly uninterested in mediation efforts, despite the prime minister’s personal rapport with Mr Netanyahu.
While other BRICS members have used the term “genocide” to describe Israel’s actions and advocated for immediate ceasefires, India has consistently framed the conflict as a “war against terror.” Mr Modi has repeatedly condemned “terrorism” without explicitly naming Palestinian groups, exhibiting support for Mr Netanyahu’s drive.
Just a day before Mr Netanyahu resumed military operations in Gaza, Mr Modi hosted America’s Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, a figure with longstanding connections to India’s Hindu nationalist movement. Ms Gabbard’s presence at the Raisina Dialogue, New Delhi’s premier geopolitical summit, and her remarks about the “threat” of Islamic terrorism, came immediately before India issued its ambiguous statement on Gaza.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate.
According to its spokesperson Dr Khalil Al-Daqran, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital has received over 710 dead and 900 wounded victims of Israel’s renewed attacks on the Gaza Strip in the past 48 hours.
In a press statement on Thursday, Dr Al-Daqran added that 70% of the injured are women and children, most of whom are in critical condition.
He pointed out that some of the wounded succumbed to their injuries due to the inability to provide urgent medical response, as a result of the lack of medical equipment.
As Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatens Gazans with intensified attacks unless they accept Mr Trump’s diktat to relocate elsewhere, leaving their land and identities behind, India’s reluctance to take a firmer stance raises questions about its role as an increasingly close partner of Israel in the unfolding tragedy.
