PM Modi condemns civilian casualties in Israel-Hamas conflict

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday ‘strongly condemned’ the civilian casualties in the ongoing violence in Gaza Strip.

Speaking at the second edition of the India-hosted virtual Voice of Global South Summit on Friday, the PM highlighted India's stance on dialogue, diplomacy, and restraint in dealing with the situation. Reiterating his condemnation of the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, he said the Global South should speak in one voice on critical matters.

Modi announced that India was set to host a global partnership summit on Artificial Intelligence next month which would promote responsible use of technology and reduce the gap between the developed and developing economies.

“We are all seeing that developments in West Asia are giving birth to new challenges. India has condemned the dastardly terror attack on Israel on October 7. We urged for restrained response along with dialogue and diplomacy. We strongly condemn the death of civilians in Israel-Hamas conflict,” Modi said.

Additionally, the PM called for cooperation based on the 'five Cs': consultation, communication, cooperation, creativity, and capacity building. He recalled India's efforts in securing the African Union's permanent membership in the G20, emphasizing the historic moment. Under India's G20 presidency, he noted significant progress in addressing climate finance, with a consensus on providing financial and technological support to Global South countries for climate transition. He emphasized India's belief that new technology should not widen the gap between the Global South and North.

His remarks indicated that other leaders in the virtual Voice of Global South Summit are also likely to take up the violence in Gaza at the daylong event during which Heads of Government, Foreign Ministers and other representatives are expected to place their thoughts on various matters of global importance.