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Senior Indian diplomat Sripriya Ranganathan met Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Ramallah to deepen bilateral cooperation. She reaffirmed India's support for Palestine through health assistance, development initiatives and backing for dialogue on Gaza.
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Jerusalem,UPDATED: Aug 19, 2026 19:16 IST
A senior Indian diplomat met Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Ramallah on Wednesday and discussed ways to further strengthen the longstanding India-Palestine partnership and cooperation in key areas of mutual interest.
Sripriya Ranganathan, Secretary (Consular, Passport and Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs), is on an official visit to Egypt, Palestine and Lebanon from August 16 to 21. During the visit, she also met senior Palestinian leaders and reviewed political engagement, development cooperation, healthcare support and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Ranganathan called on Prime Minister Mustafa and their "discussions focused on further strengthening the longstanding India-Palestine partnership and advancing bilateral cooperation across key areas of mutual interest", the Representative Office of India to Palestine said in a post on X. Earlier, she met Palestinian President's Diplomatic Adviser Majdi Al-Khaldi, and the two took stock of the broader India-Palestine partnership, including political engagement and development cooperation.
The Indian mission said the "Secretary emphasised India's continued support for Palestine and discussed the further expansion of the India-Palestine development partnership, including new initiatives in health, education and skills development being launched during the visit". Ranganathan also met Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan and discussed ways to further strengthen India's support to the Palestinian health sector.
During the meeting, Ranganathan highlighted India's support to the Palestinian health sector, including essential medicines, anti-cancer drugs, an Artificial Limb Fitment Camp and the deployment of an Indian field hospital in Gaza. The Indian mission said, "During the engagement, Secretary (CPV & OIA) also handed over a consignment of medicines from the Government of India to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, reaffirming India's continued support to Palestinian healthcare services." She also visited the UNRWA Health Centre, where she was briefed on healthcare services being provided to the people. The mission said, "India's support to UNRWA in providing health, education and other essential services to the Palestinian people remains strong."
On Tuesday, Ranganathan met Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin and reiterated India's "longstanding support for a negotiated two-State solution, and underscored the importance of addressing the humanitarian situation in Gaza through sustained humanitarian assistance and continued dialogue and diplomacy", the Indian mission said. The meetings during her visit focused on political ties, development partnership and India's continuing support for Palestine across health, education and humanitarian assistance.
With PTI Inputs
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Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Aug 19, 2026 19:16 IST
