PM Modi praises Trump's role as India welcomes the Gaza ceasefire deal.

India has officially backed a major diplomatic achievement in the Middle East by welcoming the agreement on the first phase of a US-supported peace plan for Gaza. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called President Donald Trump to congratulate him on what was called a successful effort to end the fighting. This communication shows India's support for the US-led initiative and allowed both leaders to discuss progress in ongoing India-US trade talks, connecting regional stability with economic interests.

This diplomatic development follows the release of the final 20 living hostages held by Hamas, who returned to Israel after more than two years. Prime Minister Modi praised their release and expressed India’s support for President Trump's efforts to bring peace to the region. His comments came just hours before President Trump and several global leaders were set to formally sign the Gaza ceasefire deal at a peace summit in Egypt.

The situation in Gaza and wider West Asian stability was a key topic in Prime Minister Modi's discussions with newly elected UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during their meeting in Mumbai. This points to the international aspect of the conflict and India’s active diplomatic role on the global stage. Both leaders supported initiatives to end the ongoing violence in Gaza. The statistics regarding the human cost of the conflict are alarming: over 67,000 Palestinians, including 20,000 children, have died in Israeli attacks over the past two years.

After his talks with Starmer, Modi restated India’s steady foreign policy, saying, “On the issues of the Ukraine conflict and Gaza, India supports all efforts to restore peace through dialogue and diplomacy.” This positions India as a nation that seeks peaceful solutions through multilateral discussions in major global conflicts. Prime Minister Starmer agreed, strongly endorsing the new peace deal and highlighting its urgency. He pointed out that the agreement "must now be implemented in full without delay and be accompanied by the immediate lifting of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza," stressing the critical humanitarian crisis in the area.

The report also gives important background on the conflict's beginnings, noting that Israel started the war in response to Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and led to the abduction of 251 hostages. While some hostages were released earlier, the recent return of the final 20 was crucial for the ceasefire. The summary mentions the heavy toll of Israeli military actions, reporting figures from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry showing over 66,000 Palestinians killed since the war began, leaving the region in severe humanitarian distress. The ceasefire officially began on a Friday, marking a possible turning point after years of violence.