India Sends Medical Supplies, Disaster Relief Aid To War-Torn Gaza Via Egypt

Relevance: GS2 - Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.

(Source: Indian Express, The Hindu)

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Why in the news?

Recently, India sent humanitarian aid including medical supplies and disaster relief materials to the people of Palestine via Egypt.

India’s humanitarian aid to Gaza

• India dispatched humanitarian aid consisting of 6.5 tonnes of medical aid and 32 tonnes of disaster relief material for Palestine to El-Arish airport in Egypt.
• The aid for Gaza will then be sent to the Palestine people via the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.
• Relief aid: India’s relief supplies included essential life-saving medicines, surgical items, tents, sleeping bags, tarpaulins, sanitary utilities, water purification tablets, etc.
• Operation Ajay: India launched its humanitarian mission to repatriate its citizens from conflict-ridden Israel and Palestine via chartered flights on 12th October.
• Palestine’s response:
  • The Palestinian Ambassador to India, Adnan Abu Alhaija expressed his thanks to the Government of India for the aid.
  • The Palestinian Authority claimed that the aid was supplied by India on its own initiative and sought India’s political support and help in ensuring that relief supplies reach the affected people in Gaza.

What is the present status of the conflict?

• Israeli soldiers battled with Hamas fighters in South Israel and launched retaliation strikes on Gaza.
  • In northern Israel, Israel exchanged fire with the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah, raising concerns about the escalation of the conflict.
• Casualties: Over 4,700 people have died in the Gaza Strip including around 1,800 children, while 16,000 people in the region have been injured.
• Blockade: Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip has reduced the number of trucks going into the region from around 500 to less than 20.
  • This has resulted in a deficiency in basic supplies for the people in the region as well as a lack of medicines, oxygen, and petrol.
• Aid: The first humanitarian aid convoy of 20 trucks carrying medical supplies and food entered the Gaza Strip on Saturday, through the Rafah crossing.
  • However, it did not contain supplies of petroleum which is crucial for the 2.3 million residents of the region.

Gaza Strip

• The Gaza Strip is a financially strained Palestinian territory that has been under Israeli blockade since 2007.
• The Gaza Strip was occupied by Israel during the 1967 war and returned to Palestine fully in 2005 but has been under the control of Hamas since 2006.
• Borders: Israel in the north and east, Egypt in the south, and the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
  • This means that all the entries and exits into the region are heavily controlled.
  • In 2007, Israel imposed an air, land, and sea blockade on Gaza as a result of which all points except the Rafah crossing are controlled by Egypt.
• Due to the intense monitoring and the Israeli bombardment, Gaza’s development has been severely impacted.
• Wars with Israel: This is the fifth war with Israel in the last 15 years following wars in 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2021 each of which led to a massive loss of life and property in the Gaza Strip.
• Poverty in the region: The GDP per capita of the West Bank and Gaza in 2022 was $5,722, which was less than that of India ($7,096) and more than that of Pakistan ($5,452).
  • In comparison, Israel’s GDP per capita was seven times higher at $44,272.
• Death toll: Over 4,700 casualties have been reported in Gaza making it the deadliest of all the conflicts between Israel and Hamas.
  • In 2014, around 2,250 Palestinians were reportedly killed.
• Population: Fertility levels in the region were among the highest in 2021 with 3.5 total births per woman while India’s fertility rate was 2.08.
  • The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated regions in the world with a population density of 6,019, behind Macao, Monaco, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
• Labor force and Employment: As a significant part of the population consists of children, the financial burden on adults is high.
  • However, Gaza is plagued by chronic unemployment due to poor industrial presence and low labor force participation.
  • Labor Force: The labor force participation rates in the West Bank and Gaza are among the lowest in the world.
  • In 2021, it was 43% for the West Bank and Gaza together and 35% for only the Gaza Strip.
  • Unemployment: The unemployment rate was 26% in 2021 for Gaza and the West Bank and 45% for Gaza.
• Hospital coverage: Gaza only has 13 hospital beds per 10,000 population making it difficult to treat the more than 16,000 injured people.
  • As a result, further increases in the casualties in the region could further overburden the healthcare system which is also suffering from a lack of medicines, professionals, oxygen, water, and electricity.

India’s response to the crisis

• India has adopted a balanced approach to the conflict by attempting to balance its deep strategic ties with Israel as well as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Iran, and Egypt.
• India reiterated its “long-standing principled position on the Israel-Palestine issue and expressed its condolences at the loss of civilian lives.
  • It advocated for the resumption of direct negotiations towards establishing a sovereign, independent, and viable State of Palestine living within secure and recognized borders, side by side at peace with Israel,
• India also committed to sending humanitarian assistance to Palestine.
• India has earlier expressed its solidarity with Israel, condemned all forms of terrorism, and recommended that the international community stand together to combat terrorism.
  • India expressed its concern over the increasing instances of terrorism and violence, and the deteriorating security situation in the region.
• India has also urged all stakeholders to ensure the full respect and strict observance of international humanitarian law.

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FAQs

MCQs

Question: The term "two-state solution" is sometimes mentioned in the news in the context of the affairs of (UPSC CSE 2018)

(a) China

(b) Israel

(c) Iraq

(d) Yemen