World leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will attend today's virtual summit of G20 leaders, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over. This will be the first time Trudeau and Modi will come face-to-face, albeit virtually, since their strained relations following Trudeau's allegations of Indian involvement in the killing of a Khalistani separatist. The participation of Putin and Chinese Premier Li Qiang has also been confirmed.
The virtual summit comes at a significant time, as Israel's Cabinet has approved a temporary ceasefire with Hamas, bringing a halt to the six-week conflict. The deal calls for a four-day ceasefire, during which Israel will halt its military offensive in Gaza and Hamas will release some of the hostages it is holding. The summit will focus on development and other global issues and is expected to have "excellent participation" from G20 leaders.
The virtual meeting follows an extraordinary meeting of the BRICS group on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The goal of the summit is to address gaps in global governance, reaffirm commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and progress towards a revitalised multilateral system. The meeting will also provide momentum and guidance on finance-related issues before handing over the G20 presidency to Brazil on December 1.
While the summit will discuss a host of issues, the deliberations related to the Gaza situation are of particular interest. Israel has been conducting a massive military operation in Gaza in response to attacks by Hamas militants. There has been criticism of Israel for the high number of civilian casualties in Gaza.
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