Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday had a phone conversation with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in which the two leaders discussed the escalating crisis in the Middle East.
During his discussion with the Iranian leader, Modi called upon Israel and Hamas to end hostilities in the region to pave the way for the restoration of "early peace" there.
"Good exchange of perspectives with President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi on the difficult situation in West Asia and the Israel-Hamas conflict. Terrorist incidents, violence and loss of civilian lives are serious concerns. Preventing escalation, ensuring continued humanitarian aid and early restoration of peace and stability are important," Modi said on X, previously Twitter.
Modi's interaction with Raisi comes amid rising calls from some Middle Eastern nations urging New Delhi to use its friendly diplomatic ties with Israel to press Tel Aviv to pause its ground operation in Gaza.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stressed that India was expected to help in setting up a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip which has been reeling under an intense Israeli air bombing campaign and ground offensive after Hamas carried out the worst attack in the Mediterranean nation's history last month.
At present, Israeli ground forces have completely encircled Gaza City, which lies in the northern part of the strip, which Tel Aviv claims serves as the military command center of the Palestinian militant movement.
While Hamas has not released any figures about how many of its fighters have died in the Israeli assault, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) confirmed that it has lost around 350 soldiers in the ongoing combat operation in the densely populated coastal enclave.