As Israel-Hamas conflict continues, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and later said “Discussed the Gaza situation, Lebanon and safety of maritime traffic in the region. Will continue to remain in touch.” The phone conversation came two days after Jaishankar spoke to Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.

“Just spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister @elicoh1. Discussed the Gaza situation, Lebanon and safety of maritime traffic in the region. Will continue to remain in touch,” the External Affairs Minister posted on X. Israel has continued its military offensive in Gaza as part of its retaliation to the unprecedented attack on Israeli cities by Hamas on October 7.

Hamas killed around 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped more than 220 others some of whom were released during a brief ceasefire. Around 17,000 people have been killed in Gaza in the Israeli offensive, according to the Hamas-run authorities in Gaza.

India has been calling for de-escalation of the situation and create conditions for an early resumption of direct peace negotiations towards a two-State solution to the Palestine issue. India has strongly condemned the terror attack by Hamas.

There have been concerns over the safety of maritime traffic in the region. A missile reportedly fired by Yemen’s Houthi militants hit a commercial tanker in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen on late Monday, triggering concerns.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jaishankar have raised concerns over the deteriorating situation arising out of the conflict and have repeatedly called for “restraint and de-escalation”.

Jaishankar had also spoken to Cohen in November when he reaffirmed India’s commitment to “countering terrorism, observance of international humanitarian law and a two-State solution.”

“Spoke this afternoon with FM Eli Choen of Israel. Appreciated his sharing the Israeli assessment of the current situation. Reiterated our firm commitment to countering terrorism, observance of international humanitarian law and for a two-State solution,” Jaishankar had posted from his official handle on X.

“We remain concerned at the deteriorating security situation and have called for restraint, de-escalation and emphasised peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy,” Jaishankar said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha last week.

Modi met Israeli President Isaac Herzog on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in UAE earlier this month and emphasised a “two-State solution to the conflict”.