New York, May 16: The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York commemorated the International Day of Vesak on Friday with a distinguished panel discussion titled ‘Teachings of Gautama Buddha – a Path to Internal and Global Peace.’

The event drew participation from high-level diplomats, scholars, and spiritual leaders, reaffirming the enduring relevance of Lord Buddha’s teachings in addressing contemporary global challenges.

Announcing the event on its official social media handle, the Mission tweeted on Friday: “IndiaUNNewYork organised a Panel Discussion on ‘Teachings of Gautama Buddha – a Path to Internal and Global Peace’ to commemorate the International Day of Vesak.”

The panel featured Permanent Representatives and senior diplomats from a host of Buddhist-majority nations including Vietnam, Lao PDR, Thailand, Bhutan, Mongolia, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Russia. Their presence underscored the shared spiritual and cultural heritage that unites these countries and the global resonance of Buddhist values.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, opened the session with remarks emphasising the universal appeal of the Buddha’s message.

“Lord Buddha’s message of compassion, non-violence and his wisdom offer a path to inner and global peace, in a world beset with crisis and suffering,” he stated, drawing attention to the urgent need for spiritual grounding in modern geopolitics.

Prof. Abhay Kumar Singh, Interim Vice-Chancellor of Nalanda University, an institution with deep historical ties to Buddhism, highlighted Lord Buddha’s timeless teachings of peace and compassion. Meanwhile, Professor Santosh Kumar Raut provided insights into how Buddhist philosophy could help humanity navigate the pressing challenges of the 21st century.

Vesak, the most sacred day for millions of Buddhists worldwide, marks the birth, enlightenment, and passing of Gautama Buddha, all of which occurred on the full moon day in the month of May.

The UN General Assembly, through Resolution 54/115 in 1999, officially recognised the International Day of Vesak to honour Buddhism’s profound contribution to global spirituality and peace.

The event served as a reminder that the path shown by the Buddha over 2,500 years ago continues to illuminate the journey towards personal transformation and collective harmony, ideals that resonate more than ever in the present era.

Jerusalem, May 13: Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander arrived in Israel after being released from Gaza, where he was held in Hamas captivity for 19 months, Israel’s Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Alexander arrived at southern Israel’s Re’im military base adjacent to the Gaza Strip to reunite with his family, who landed only a few hours earlier from the United States, Xinhua news agency reported.

A photo taken earlier in Gaza showed Alexander, wearing a black T-shirt and a baseball cap, being accompanied by armed Hamas militants and a woman from the Red Cross during a handover process.

Alexander was released following direct talks between Washington and Hamas.

US President Donald Trump welcomed the release, writing in a post on his Truth Social platform: “Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage, is being released. Congratulations to his wonderful parents, family, and friends!”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the country “embraces” Alexander. He stressed that the Israeli government “is committed to the return of all hostages and missing persons — both the living and the fallen,” vowing to “act tirelessly until they are all brought home.”

Israeli Health Ministry Spokeswoman Shira Solomon said Alexander was undergoing an initial medical assessment at the reception facility in Re’im base and would later be transferred to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.

“Medical teams and staff at the hospital are well-prepared to provide all necessary medical, psychological, and rehabilitative care for Alexander, as well as support for his family and any other needs that may arise,” Solomon said in a statement.

In Hostages Square, a public plaza located in front of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and renamed following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack, hundreds gathered to watch Alexander’s return on large screens. They held up photos of the freed hostage and signs reading: “Only an end to the war in Gaza would secure the release of the remaining hostages.”

Hamas sources earlier confirmed that Alexander was handed over to a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross at a designated location in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis city. He was then transferred to the buffer zone controlled by the Israeli army before heading to the Re’im military base.

Eyewitnesses in Khan Younis reported that Israeli military activities in the area were halted before and during the release, and the atmosphere remained relatively calm.

In a press statement, Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, said Alexander was released as part of the efforts made by mediators to achieve a ceasefire, open the crossings, and allow aid and relief to reach Gaza.

Alexander is a US-born soldier serving in the Israeli army. He was abducted on October 7, 2023, in the Hamas-led raid on southern Israel that resulted in the kidnapping of 251 people and the killing of about 1,200 others.

His return marks an important step toward a new round of negotiations on a Gaza truce deal that will, after the return of Alexander, also secure the release of the remaining 58 hostages in Gaza, of whom 20 are believed to be alive. The negotiations are expected to begin on Tuesday with mediation from Qatar, Egypt, and the US. Netanyahu’s office announced that an Israeli delegation will travel to Doha for talks, but stressed that the talks would take place “only under fire.”

Since October 2023, Israeli fire has killed 52,862 Palestinians and injured 119,648 others in Gaza, according to local health authorities on Monday.

Gaza, May 8: The food relief organisation World Central Kitchen (WCK) has announced that it will halt cooking in the Gaza Strip due to the depletion of humanitarian supplies.

“After serving more than 130 million total meals and 26 million loaves of bread over the past 18 months, World Central Kitchen no longer has the supplies to cook meals or bake bread in Gaza,” the Washington, D.C.-headquartered charity said on Wednesday in a press statement.

“Since Israel closed border crossings in early March, WCK has been unable to replenish the stocks of food that we use to feed hundreds of thousands of Gazans daily,” the non-governmental organisation added.

WCK’s large-scale field kitchens have run out of the ingredients needed to prepare daily meals, and its mobile bakery has no flour left, it said, adding that more than 80 per cent of community kitchens in Gaza have run out of WCK-provided stock, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organisations Network in Gaza, warned that the closure of community kitchens, given the depletion of their food supplies, could exacerbate the hunger.

“The repercussions of the severe humanitarian disaster will be significant on the health and lives of citizens, especially children, women, the elderly, and the sick,” Shawa told Xinhua.

“If all parties do not intervene to save the situation by opening the crossings and allowing the entry of humanitarian and medical aid, we will be facing an extremely dangerous situation in Gaza,” he said.

Israel halted the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza on March 2, following the expiration of the first phase of a January ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

The UN has warned of an impending humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, reporting increasing signs of acute hunger, particularly among children.

Israel has faced growing international pressure to lift an aid blockade that it imposed in March after the collapse of a ceasefire deal. Israel has accused agencies, including the United Nations, of allowing large quantities of aid to fall into the hands of Hamas, which seizes supplies intended for civilians for its own forces.