The external affairs ministry’s spokesman, Arindam Bagchi, announced on X that an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft has been sent to the El-Arish airport in Egypt with around 32 tonnes of disaster relief goods and 6.5 tonnes of medical supplies.
The distance between El-Arish airport and the Rafah crossing on Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip is about 45 km.
At the moment, Rafah is the only border point into Gaza for humanitarian aid.
However, since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the bridge has not been completely functioning.
According to Egyptian media, which the BBC quoted, Israeli airstrikes are causing problems close to the border.
International aid for Palestine has been kept in El-Arish warehouses, but on Saturday, October 21, the Rafah crossing opened as a result of agreements between Israel, Egypt, the US, and the UN.
After the crossing opened, a convoy comprising twenty relief vehicles entered Gaza, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
India contributes to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in order to support Palestine and the Palestinian refugees.
It has given $36.5 million to UNRWA in total between 2002 and 2022–2023, according to a May 2018 brief from the ministry of external affairs.
India has “always advocated the resumption of direct negotiations towards establishing a sovereign, independent, and viable state of Palestine,” according to Bagchi, who spoke on behalf of the government earlier this month.
One example of this is Palestine “living side by side at peace with Israel within secure and recognised borders.”
In a conversation with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, Prime Minister Narendra Modi “reiterated India’s long-standing and principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue.”
Also, he has communicated his support for Israel to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
India’s people wholeheartedly support Israel during this trying time. A post on Modi’s X account stated, “India strongly and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”
According to the Indian Express, Aligarh Muslim University students in Uttar Pradesh were arrested for participating in an unapproved pro-Palestinian march.
They were charged under IPC sections pertaining to inciting discord between various groups, disobeying orders issued by public servants, and making statements that provoked public disturbances.
