Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged G20 leaders on Wednesday to do everything necessary to prevent the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza from escalating into a wider conflict, emphasizing that insecurity and instability in West Asia is a concern. Modi was speaking at the opening of a virtual summit for G20 nations, which India is presiding over. He hosted the summit to review progress on policy proposals and goals announced during the annual G20 summit held in New Delhi in September, and to identify ways to accelerate progress toward achieving these goals.
Modi told G20 leaders that "new challenges have emerged" for the world in recent months. He added, "The situation marked by insecurity and instability in the West Asia region is a matter of concern for all of us. It is essential to ensure that the conflict between Israel and Hamas does not turn into any form of regional conflict." He further stated, "We believe that terrorism is unacceptable to all of us. Killing civilians anywhere deserves condemnation. It is important for humanitarian aid to reach its destination in a timely and unimpeded manner."
The shadows of the Russian-Ukrainian war loomed over the meeting; however, the group members overcame their deep differences regarding the war to issue a consensus document and move forward on issues such as comprehensive reforms of institutions like the World Bank. Attendees at Wednesday's summit included Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, among others.
