"Immediate De-escalation Need Of The Hour": India On Israel-Gaza Tensions

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti said the continuing violence, which began in East Jerusalem a week back, is now threatening to spiral out of control.

Amid escalating tensions between Gaza and Israel, India on Sunday urged "both sides" to show extreme restraint and refrain from attempts to unilaterally change the existing status-quo, underlining that "immediate de-escalation" is the need of the hour. The UN Security Council held an open meeting on the situation in the Middle East on Sunday, during which UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres termed the tensions as the "most serious escalation" in Gaza and Israel in years. Describing the current hostilities as "utterly appalling", the UN chief asserted that "fighting must stop. It must stop immediately. Rockets and mortars on one side and aerial and artillery bombardments on the other must stop. I appeal to all parties to heed this call." India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti said the continuing violence, which began in East Jerusalem a week back, is now threatening to spiral out of control. "The events of the last several days have resulted in a sharp deterioration of the security situation."