IBSA slams Israel's 'use of starvation' as war strategy

NEW YORK: India, Brazil and South Africa have strongly condemned the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza and expressed grave concern over the situation in the "occupied" Palestinian territory.

The issue figured prominently at a meeting of the trilateral grouping IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) that took place on the margins of the UN General Assembly. It was attended by external affairs minister S Jaishankar, Brazilian foreign minister Mauro Vieira and South African minister Sindisiwe Chikunga.

The IBSA's strong condemnation of the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza came days after Canada, the UK and Australia formally recognised the Palestine state in the face of the continuing Israeli strikes.

The trilateral grouping especially deplored the "use of starvation" as a method of warfare and reiterated its call for a permanent ceasefire, leading to the cessation of Israeli attacks, the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Strip as well as the release of remaining hostages by Hamas.

"The ministers expressed grave concern about the situation in the Occupied Palestinian territory and strongly condemned the Israeli attacks against Gaza, which, after almost two years, continue to cause unprecedented suffering to the civilian population of the territory, ravaged by deaths, destruction, forced displacement, and famine," the IBSA said in a statement.

The IBSA ministers recalled that the Gaza Strip is an inseparable part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The IBSA also strongly condemned the "gruesome killing" of civilians in the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam and reaffirmed its unconditional rejection of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.