"Gaza is gasping, the world must not look away": Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday said that the world must not stay silent on the ongoing crisis in Gaza. Stalin said he was deeply shaken by the visuals coming from Gaza, describing them as heartbreaking, and urged India and the global community to take firm action to end the suffering. In a post on X, MK Stalin wrote, "Gaza is gasping, the world must not look away. I am shaken beyond words by what is unfolding in Gaza. Every visual is gut-wrenching. The cries of infants, the sight of starving children, the bombing of hospitals, and the declaration of genocide by the UN Commission of Inquiry together show the suffering that no human being should ever be subjected to." "When innocent lives are being crushed in this way, silence is not an option. Every conscience must rise. India must speak firmly, the world must unite, and we must all act to end this horror now," he added.

Earlier this week, a United Nations commission of inquiry found that Israel has committed "genocide" against Palestinians in Gaza. A new report by the world body has said that there are reasonable grounds to conclude that four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been carried out since the start of the war with Hamas in 2023; killing members of a group, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to destroy the group, and imposing measures preventing births. It cites statements by Israeli leaders and the pattern of conduct by Israeli forces as evidence of genocidal intent. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel has urged Israel and all countries to fulfil their obligations under international law "to end the genocide" and punish those responsible. Approximately 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas's attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 48 remaining hostages, about 20 are believed to be alive.