Palestine Envoy Urges India to Lead Gaza Reconstruction Efforts: "If Not India, Who?"

Palestine's Ambassador to India Abdullah Abu Shawesh speaks to NDTV's Aditya Raj Kaul

New Delhi:

On Thursday, Palestine's Ambassador to India Abdullah Abu Shawesh called upon New Delhi to assume a leading role in ending Gaza's humanitarian crisis and shaping post-war reconstruction efforts. He emphasized that India's political influence and relationship with Israel uniquely position it to help "put an end to the Palestinian suffering."

During an extensive interview with NDTV, Abu Shawesh repeatedly highlighted India's natural position as a "champion of the [Global] South" and posed the question: "If it is not you, then who? If it is not India, then who?"

The ambassador urged India to leverage its relationship with Israel constructively, including pressing for accountability, and to become a significant partner in Gaza's reconstruction plans.

Abu Shawesh provided a devastating first-hand account of Gaza's humanitarian collapse, stating that the majority of casualties have been civilians.

"The 67,000 Palestinians who were killed... are utterly, purely civilians, not belonging to Hamas," he asserted, noting that victim lists and published photographs demonstrate those killed were not combatants.

He detailed the widespread malnutrition and healthcare system breakdown in Gaza.

"We are talking about 500 children who still now lost their lives because of malnutrition and lack of food... Many of the surgeries went without anesthesia. For children, they amputated their legs and arms without anesthesia," Shawesh explained.

The Palestinian envoy told NDTV that the violence in Gaza meets the definition of genocide, citing international bodies and experts who have described it in those terms, and called for global pressure to end the military campaign.

"This is not our work - this is the United Nations' [work]... even Israeli watch groups declared that it's genocide," he stated.

Addressing the frequent criticism that dismantling Hamas is necessary to prevent attacks like the October 7 assault that killed over 1,200 people in Israel, the ambassador challenged established narratives.

"If you call Hamas terrorists, I have no problem with that for the sake of argument," he said. "But what are you going to call the Israeli occupation? If the occupation itself is... the very clear cut indication or meaning of terror, what is the meaning of the terror?"

Abu Shawesh reaffirmed the Palestinian Authority's official position that there is "no room" for militias or parallel armed actors in a future Palestinian state and argued that Hamas's emergence and growth were influenced by broader regional policies.

He suggested that Israeli policies had strengthened Hamas at various points, a claim he presented as historically documented.

Focusing specifically on India, the ambassador recalled the historical ties between the Palestinian and Indian independence movements - referencing Mahatma Gandhi's opposition to Partition - and noted that India's recognition of Palestine in 1988 and recent international votes demonstrate continued support.

He described widespread support across Indian political parties and regions, from Kerala to New Delhi, mentioning his engagement with various political leaders and civil society organizations.

Regarding terrorism affecting India, Abu Shawesh stated that Palestinian leadership has condemned attacks on Indian soil and that President Mahmoud Abbas sent a letter of solidarity following the Pahalgam terror attack by Pakistani terror groups in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Our position was clear... we condemn," he affirmed.

While the ambassador's appeal to New Delhi is broadly political, it also contains a practical request: for India to use its diplomatic influence and development capabilities to alleviate Gaza's immediate humanitarian crisis and help shape a long-term, two-state solution that, in his words, "guarantees legitimate security for us" and prevents militia resurgence.

As India continues balancing its deepening relationship with Israel alongside its long-standing support for Palestine, Abu Shawesh's intervention highlights how both New Delhi's moral authority and geopolitical influence are being sought to help resolve one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises.