July 29, 2025: Asserting that Israel's military campaign in Gaza amounts to "genocide", Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) slammed the Modi government for being a "mute spectator to this affront to humanity", and said this was a "cowardly betrayal of our constitutional values".
She also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "shameful silence" in the face of Israel's relentless and devastating assault on the people of Gaza is "deeply disappointing", as well as the height of "moral cowardice".
In an article published in the Hindi daily 'Dainik Jagran', Ms. Gandhi urged the Prime Minister to speak out "clearly, boldly and forthrightly" on behalf of the legacy that India has long represented.
She said nothing can justify Hamas' barbaric attacks on innocent men, women and children in Israel on 7 October 2023, or its continued holding of Israeli hostages thereafter.
She said these must be condemned repeatedly and unreservedly.
In her Hindi article titled "Gaza sankat par mookdarshak Modi sarkaar," she stated, "But as members of the international community - and more so as human beings - it is our responsibility to acknowledge that the Israeli government’s response and reprisals against the civilian population of Gaza have not only been egregious, but downright criminal." Ms., more than 55,000 Palestinian civilians, including 17,000 children, have been killed over the past nearly two years. Gandhi pointed out.
Most residential buildings in Gaza have been razed to the ground through relentless aerial bombardment, including hospitals, she said, adding that the social fabric has been completely shattered.
"The events since October 2023 have been disturbing, and in recent months the situation has become even more heart-wrenching. We have seen how humanitarian aid has been weaponized as part of a dastardly strategy. The Israeli Defense Forces have imposed a military blockade on Gaza, deliberately and cruelly blocking the supply of medicines, food and fuel to the population," the former Congress chief said.
“The wanton destruction of infrastructure and the unbridled massacre of civilians have led to a man-made tragedy — made worse by the blockade. It is unquestionably a crime against humanity to employ this tactic of forced starvation,” stated Ms. Gandhi said.
She asserted that Israel has, in the midst of this devastation, either explicitly rejected or blocked humanitarian aid from the United Nations and other international organizations. "Hundreds of civilians trying to gather food for their families have been brutally shot at by armed Israeli Defense Forces soldiers, a perversion of every notion of humanity. The United Nations itself has expressed grave concern on this issue - and even the Israeli Defense Forces have had to admit this horrifying truth," Ms. Gandhi said.
She stated, "Israel's ongoing military occupation of Gaza is, according to almost all objective assessments by experts, a campaign that amounts to genocide and aims to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip of Palestinians." Its scale and consequences are reminiscent of the Naqba tragedy of 1948, when Palestinians were forced from their homes, Ms. Gandhi stated: Gandhi asserted that some "greedy" real estate tycoons'" selfish interests and a colonial mindset are among the most heinous motives behind all of these atrocities. She asserted that one of the most serious flaws in the international system has been revealed by the ongoing crisis. "UN General Assembly resolutions demanding an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza have been completely ignored. She stated, "The Israeli government has not been sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council for its attacks on civilians in Gaza and the extensive destruction of its infrastructure." The International Court of Justice's order of January 26, 2024 — directing Israel to prevent acts of genocide and to provide essential services and humanitarian aid to civilians — has also been completely ignored, Gandhi said.
She added that Israel's actions were not only encouraged but also made possible by the United States' direct and indirect support for Israel. Ms. Gandhi opined that when international laws and institutions have become "virtually defunct", the fight to protect the interests of the people of Gaza is now left to individual countries.
She pointed out that Brazil has now joined South Africa in taking Israel to task at the International Court of Justice, despite the possibility of retaliation. She stated that countries like Canada and Britain have imposed sanctions on Israeli leaders who have promoted aggression in Gaza, and France has decided to recognize the Palestinian state. Even within Israel itself, the voices of protest are growing - a former prime minister has acknowledged the reality of Israeli war crimes in Gaza, she said.
"Amidst this humanitarian crisis and the rising global consciousness around it, it is a national shame that India has remained a mute spectator to this affront to humanity," Gandhi said.
"India has been a symbol of global justice for a long time. She stated, "We are the nation that led the international struggle against apartheid South Africa," raised its voice against imperialist dominance during the Cold War, and inspired global movements against colonialism. Gandhi stated, "India's abdication of its values is a blot on our national conscience, a disregard for our historical contributions, and also a cowardly betrayal of our constitutional values" at a time when innocent people are being brutally killed. She made the point that the Directive Principles of State Policy clearly mandate that the government take effective measures to "promote respect for international law and treaty obligations, maintain just and honorable relations between nations, and encourage settlement of international disputes by arbitration." She stated, "But Israel’s blatant disregard for basic concepts of international law, human rights, and justice — and our current government’s moral cowardice in the face of it — is tantamount to a dereliction of our duties to our constitutional values." Israel's actions are in violation of international law. India has always been a supporter of the 'two-state solution' and a just peace between the people of Israel and Palestine, she asserted.
Ms. Gandhi recalled that India became the first non-Arab nation to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in 1974 under Indira Gandhi's leadership. She mentioned that India was one of the first nations to officially recognize Palestine as a state in 1988. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's shameful silence in the face of Israel's relentless and devastating assault on the people of Gaza is deeply disappointing. It represents the pinnacle of moral cowardice. She stated, "The time has come for him to speak out clearly, boldly, and candidly on behalf of the legacy that India has long represented." According to Gandhi, the Global South is looking to India once more for leadership on a topic that today shakes the collective conscience of humanity.