"Matter of deep concern": MEA on Israeli strikes on refugee camps in Rafah

New Delhi [India], May 30 : India expressed 'deep concerns' about Israeli strikes on the refugee camps in Rafah and emphasised that New Delhi has consistently called for the protection of the civilian population and respect for international humanitarian law, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.
"The heartbreaking loss of civilian lives in the displacement camp in Rafah is a matter of deep concern. We have consistently called for the protection of the civilian population and respect for international humanitarian law in the ongoing conflict," MEA said referring to the air strikes by Israel on refugee camp in Gaza's Rafah.
The strikes on the Rafah refugee camp occurred after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its operation in Rafah, triggered international outrage.
"We also note that the Israeli side has already accepted responsibility for it as a tragic accident and announced an investigation into the incident," he added.
The Ministry of External Affairs said that India is one of the first countries to recognise the state of Palestine in late 1980s and has supported a two-state solution within recognised and mutually agreed borders, living side by side with Israel in peace.
India's statement comes after Ireland, Norway and Spain recognized Palestine as an independent state.The European nations are now pushing for other countries to acknowledge pre-1967 borders and say this recognition is the only way to ensure peace.
"India recognised Palestine way back in the 1980s, so it has been a longstanding position that we support a two-state solution that entails the establishment of a sovereign, viable and independent state of Palestine within recognised and mutually agreed borders, living side by side with Israel in peace, "MEA Spokeperson Randhir Jaiswal said regarding the position of India related to Israel and Palestine during the weekly press briefing.
"So that is how we look at it. What they are doing now, we already done in the 1980s," he added.
At least 45 people were killed and 200 others were injured after the Israeli strike hit a camp for displaced people on May 26, CNN reported, according to the government media office in Gaza.
Shortly after the attack, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced that two senior Hamas officials had been killed after targeting a Hamas compound. The Israeli attack followed Hamas' first rocket attack on the Israeli city of Tel Aviv in months.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the country's strike on a displacement camp in Rafah a "tragic mistake." He said that Israel is carrying out investigation into the incident.
The Israeli airstrikes in Rafah come days after the United Nations' top court ordered Israel to halt its operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and withdraw from the enclave, CNN reported.
However, the Israeli government has been generally opposed to Palestinian statehood, meaning the new recognition will likely result in little change on the ground, as negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority have halted during the conflict, according to The Hill.
The Palestinian Authority controls the West Bank, though it was pushed out of Gaza in 2006 after the region was taken over by Hamas.
The US has reportedly urged the Israeli government to allow the Palestinian Authority into Gaza as its military clears the region, though Netanyahu has strongly denounced the concept.