This Week in Explainers: Why India is watching the Israel-Hamas war closely

It’s been a long, deadly week. It was last Saturday (7 October) that militants of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, launched, perhaps, its most bloody and dangerous attack against Israel – by air, land and sea, killing civilians – women and children included – and taking people hostage. Israel enraged with the attacks launched their counteroffensive in the Gaza Strip, and even announced a complete blockade of essential supplies of food, water and power to the region, with Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant declaring, “Israel will wipe Hamas off the face of the Earth.” The attacks and counterattacks have claimed a heavy toll though; nearly 3,500 people have died, while thousands of others have been wounded. The United Nations has also stated that the fighting in the Gaza Strip has led to the displacement of thousands of others. But as all this action unravels, Indians who were away from the fighting wore signs of worry on their face. Many were concerned about their loved ones being trapped amid the fighting in Israel, while others were more wary about how this war could affect India’s economy. Aside from the war, poll fever is catching on in India – the election dates were announced for the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Manipur and campaigning has begun in earnest in these states. The other big news came from the Supreme Court of India, which was left divided over a case of abortion. As the Israel-Hamas war unravels and its effects start to have a domino effect, we take a deep dive and give you India’s perspective on the war and a lot more. We bring you the big developments of the week. 1) Israel and Hamas have been drawn into a bloody war with a disastrous death toll. Amid this precarious situation, India launched its Operation Ajay, the evacuation mission to rescue the 18,000-odd Indians that are stuck in Israel. At the heart of this mission is India’s envoy to Israel - Sanjeev Kumar Singla, who is working hard – night and day – to ensure that no Indian national is harmed. [caption id=“attachment_13247702” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] India’s envoy to Israel Sanjeev Singla (centre) is all smiles as he bids farewell to the first batch of Indians who are repatriating to India through Operation Ajay. Image Courtesy: @DrSJaishankar/Twitter[/caption] 2) The Israel-Hamas war has also worried financial analysts and market watchers. Many are wondering what’s at stake for the Indian economy? Our explainer ( here) states that a long drawn-out war would be detrimental to India’s economy. One of the first and immediate impacts of this war would be the surge in oil prices, and that would hit India hard because it is the world’s third-largest importer of crude oil. 3) The war between Israel and Hamas isn’t just an economic concern for India. As the war unravels, dividing the world into two camps – pro-Israel and pro-Palestine – India has been walking the balancing beam of diplomacy. This is because it has a traditional relationship with Palestine and a growing friendship with Israel. When the war first broke out, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed solidarity with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, condemning the “terrorist attacks”. Many saw it as a pro-Israel move. Five days later, the Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement, advocating the resumption of direct negotiations for a peaceful resolution between the two states. The MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said: “Our policy in this regard has been long-standing and consistent. India has always advocated the resumption of direct negotiations towards establishing a sovereign, independent, and viable State of Palestine living within secure and recognised borders, side by side at peace with Israel.” We explore India’s historic ties with Palestine, its evolution of relations with Israel and how New Delhi maintains a balance between the two. [caption id=“attachment_13247722” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Amid the Israel-Hamas war, Indian security agencies have tightened measures to protect Jews, in light of increasing antisemitic attacks across the world. India is home to around 6,000 Jews who live a relatively peaceful life here. File image/Reuters[/caption] 4) As the war intensifies, there has been a surge in antisemitic attacks across the world. In light of such a situation, India sounded an alert on Friday (13 October), urging more deployment of personnel around Jewish centres in an attempt to ensure the safety of Jews. But what is the strength of this community in India? When did they arrive on Indian shores and how safe have they been here? We explored these questions in our next explainer that you can read here. 5) Another issue that grabbed the headlines in India, away from the war, was the abortion case that divided the Supreme Court. While one bench of justices allowed for the termination of a 26-week foetus, another bench put the decision on hold. But what led to this change in decisions? Moreover, does this case have an impact on the pro-life vs pro-choice debate in the country? We explored this matter deeply and get you the answers here. [caption id=“attachment_13247752” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Indian Navy is set to replace some ranks with Indianised designations as part of a larger drive to shed its colonial past, with gender-neutral changes to the ranks. File image/PTI[/caption] 6) And while we talk about women and their rights, there was another news item pertaining to women that was significant this week. The Indian Navy, which has been inducting women into the forces, is also mulling a change in the name of ranks in an attempt to be more gender-inclusive. As per the proposal, ranks such as Master Chief Petty Officer Ist Class, Master Chief Petty Officer IInd Class, Chief Petty Officer, Petty Officer, Leading Seaman, Seaman Ist Class and Seaman IInd Class would be redesignated. The change in ranks also comes at a time when the Armed Forces of India is shedding its colonial past. It will be interesting to see what the new ranks will be called and you can be guaranteed we would cover it. Until then, you can read about the change, here. If you like these stories and yearn for more, catch up on our explainers here.