On October 7, terror group Hamas killed more than 1,200 Israelis and took some 240 citizens hostage. In response, Israel declared war against Hamas and has proceeded to deploy a ground attack in Gaza. More than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health, as Israel has conducted strikes on schools, hospitals, and refugee camps which it alleges are being used by Hamas fighters.
Responses by South Asian countries have been varied – while Pakistan and Bangladesh have expressed unequivocal support for Palestinian civilians, India has largely expressed support for Israel. While India has reified its call for a two-state solution, its strong statements in favor of Israel diverge from its past stance. Furthermore, in a recent UN resolution calling for a humanitarian truce in Gaza, all South Asian countries voted ‘for’, while India abstained.
South Asian Voices has compiled an archive of past and ongoing analysis of South Asian perspectives on the conflict in the Middle East. As the situation unfolds, please continue to check back on this page as we will continue to publish articles here.
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Image 1: Israel and Palestine flags via Ethnic Media Services
Editors’ note: a pre-final version of a piece analyzing India’s responses to the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars was posted in error and has been withdrawn.
