India Backs Plan To End Gaza War

New Delhi:India on Tuesday welcomed US President Donald Trump's announcement of a comprehensive 20-point plan to end the Gaza conflict. The plan proposes an immediate end to the war in Gaza, release of all the hostages held by Hamas and demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip in exchange for Israel releasing Palestinian prisoners.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X on Tuesday morning, "It President Trump's plan) provides a viable pathway to long term and sustainable peace, security and development for the Palestinian and Israeli people, as also for the larger West Asian region. We hope that all concerned will come together behind President Trump’s initiative and support this effort to end conflict and secure peace of mind".

It may be noted that India supports the Two-State solution of an Independent Palestine (that includes Gaza) living in peace with its neighbour Israel.

PM Modi’s welcoming of the announcement came even as the US President hailed Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir as "incredible" for their support to the plan.

President Trump had hosted both at the White House for closed-door talks just recently, highlighting the resurgence of US-Pakistan ties even as a concerned New Delhi is monitoring developments.

President Trump had earlier on Monday hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

Trump was quoted by media reports as stating, "The Prime Minister and Field Marshal from Pakistan were with us from the beginning. They're incredible. They just put out a statement that they fully believe in this pact. They backed this 100 per cent and are fully in support of this plan."

Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar welcomed Modi's statement on the US President's efforts, adding that India could contribute to economic projects in Gaza including through construction activities.

"We are very thankful to the Indian government. India has been playing a positive role in supporting peace in our region. India has a lot to bring to the plate, when it comes to economic activities", the Israeli envoy was quoted as saying.

"... We want you to build our regions as well. You (India) are capable of doing it," he added. Aziar also reportedly stated that the recent Saudi-Pakistan defence pact had nothing to with any threat from Israel.

Later in the day, PTI reported that US President Trump repeated his claim that he ended the very big conflict between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.

In his remarks to military leaders in Quantico, Trump also said that he was “honoured” when Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, “who is a very important guy in Pakistan”, praised him for saving millions of lives.

“I have settled so many wars” in the nine months of his administration, he said. “I've settled seven. And yesterday we might have settled the biggest of them all, although I don't know, Pakistan and India was very big, both nuclear powers. I settled that.

“I had India and Pakistan, (they) were going at it. And I called them both, and in this case, I used trade, Trump said.

Trump said he told the two big nuclear nations that he is not going to trade” with them. They responded, “'No, no, no, no, you cannot do that'. I said, 'yes, I can. You go into this freaking war that I'm hearing about', Trump said, adding that they shot down seven planes. He, however, did not specify which country's jets he was referring to.

It was starting. There's a lot of bad blood. And I said, You do this, there is not going to be any trade'. And I stopped the war. It was going, it was raging for four days, but that was just the beginning, and we stopped it. It was a great thing, Trump said.

Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire after a long night of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim nearly 50 times that he helped settle the tensions between India and Pakistan.

India has been consistently maintaining that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations of the two militaries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear in Parliament that no leader of any country asked India to stop Operation Sindoor.