New Delhi [India], August 8 (ANI): Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, accusing them of 'extreme moral cowardice' over their continued silence on Israel's ongoing military operations in Gaza.

In a strongly worded post on X, Ramesh condemned what he called a 'genocide' in Gaza and criticised the Indian government for not speaking out against Israel's plans to occupy Gaza City.

'The Prime Minister and his government have been demonstrating extreme moral cowardice during the genocide that has been in stark evidence in Gaza over the past eighteen months. Israel is now all set to occupy Gaza City, to begin with. This move has been widely criticised. But Mr. Modi and the External Affairs Minister continue to remain totally silent,' the Congress leader stated in a post on X.

Earlier today, the Israeli Security Cabinet approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal for the establishment of a 'civil administration' in the Gaza Strip to conclude the conflict, which will be neither in control of Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.

In a statement, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office stated that the Israeli 'Security Cabinet has approved the Prime Minister's proposal for defeating Hamas.'

According to the proposal, the Security Cabinet had adopted 'five principles' to conclude the war, which include the 'disarming of Hamas', the 'return of all the hostages', the 'demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip', 'Israeli security control of the Gaza Strip', and the 'establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority'.

Ramesh, in his post, further added that the Congress have strongly condemned 'Israel's latest plans in Gaza', calling the situation an assault on humanity itself.

'The Indian National Congress condemns in the strongest possible terms Israel's latest plans in Gaza. It is an assault not just on the Palestinian people but on humanity itself,' his post added.

Earlier in July, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, emphasised the need for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, urging purposeful dialogue and diplomacy to bring the parties together while delivering a statement at the High-Level International Conference in New York.

According to Al Jazeera, since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza, following the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, the overall Palestinian death toll has reached 61,330, with 152,359 people reported injured. (ANI)