India condemns use of force by Israel in Gaza Strip

New Delhi, Dec 29 (PTI) India Monday condemned the "unwarranted" and "indiscriminate" use of force by Israel in the Gaza Strip and sought for an immediate end to violence in West Asia.

In the second statement issued in a span of three days,
New Delhi asked Tel Aviv to exercise "utmost restraint" and
"give peace a chance". The peace process there may get
derailed irreversibly by Israel's attack on Gaza Strip and the
continued violence, it said.

"The Government of India had hoped that military action
by Israel against targets in the Gaza Strip would abate.

"It is disappointing to note that the use of
disproportionate force is resulting in a large number of
civilian casualties on the one hand and the escalating
violence on the other," External Affairs Ministry spokesman
Vishnu Prakash said here.

"This continued use of indiscriminate force is
unwarranted and condemnable," he said.

"The Government of India urges utmost restraint so as to
give peace a chance as the peace process may well get derailed
irreversibly by Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip and
continued violence," Prakash said.

As Israeli planes pounded Hamas security compound in the
Gaza Strip on Saturday killing over 220 people, India had
called for "immediate end to the use of force by Israel
against Palestinian civilians in Gaza Strip". PTI SKU
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