- Modi offers condolences to victims of Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
- Says India supports efforts towards lasting peace and regional stability.
- Netanyahu praises India’s support, calls it a wall of defense against barbarism.
JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi told lawmakers in Jerusalem on Wednesday that India stands “firmly” with Israel after the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas.
Modi also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a two-day visit aimed at deepening trade and defense ties that have drawn criticism at home.
“I… carry with me the deepest condolences of the people of India for every life lost and for every family whose world was shattered in the barbaric terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7,” Modi said in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
“We feel your pain, we share your grief. India stands firmly with Israel with full conviction at this moment and beyond.”
In his speech, Modi did not explicitly mention the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed in Gaza during the more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas.
But he said India “supports all efforts that contribute to lasting peace and regional stability”.
Modi also told Israeli lawmakers that his country’s economic growth and Israel’s leadership in technological innovation provided a “natural basis for our partnership going forward”.
“I see a lot of synergies in areas like quantum technologies, semiconductors and artificial intelligence,” he added.
Netanyahu told Modi that “India supports Israel because it understands that Israel serves as a bulwark against barbarism”, adding that his visit will allow them to “further strengthen our ties”.
It is Modi’s second visit to Israel as prime minister since taking office in 2014.
‘A real friendship’
Earlier on Wednesday, a red carpet was rolled out at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport and Modi was greeted with a hug by Netanyahu as he disembarked.
“The two leaders share a special and personal relationship,” Shosh Bedrosian, a spokeswoman for Netanyahu’s office, said in a video broadcast on X.
“The bond between Israel and India is a strong alliance as we are partners in innovation, security and a shared strategic vision,” she added.
Netanyahu’s office said the two right-wing leaders held a private meeting after the welcoming ceremony, with the Israeli premier hailing “a true friendship”.
In a post on X, Modi described the meeting as “excellent”.
“We discussed a wide range of issues with the aim of deepening and strengthening the bilateral relations between our two countries,” he said.
The pair “held an in-depth conversation about major developments in the region”, he added.
Modi is also scheduled to meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog during the visit.
New Delhi has steadily expanded cooperation with Israel across the defense, agriculture, technology and cyber security sectors, while balancing diplomatic interests in the Middle East.
Negotiations opened in New Delhi on Monday for a free trade agreement (FTA) between India and Israel, India’s government said in a statement, noting that trade in goods reached $3.62 billion by 2024-2025.
Full diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1992. Ties deepened after Hindu nationalist leader Modi took office in 2014.
Criticism at home
Modi first visited Israel as prime minister in 2017, before Netanyahu made a reciprocal visit to India the following year.
In 2023, major plans were unveiled in New Delhi for an India-Middle East-Europe economic corridor – to link railways, ports, electricity, data networks and pipelines, including through Saudi Arabia and Israel.
These plans were halted by Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, which responded with a devastating war in the Gaza Strip.
Months after his visit to Israel in 2017, Modi traveled to Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian Authority.
His current visit has sparked criticism at home.
Senior Congress figure Priyanka Gandhi – sister of opposition leader Rahul – wrote on social media on Wednesday that she hoped Modi would mention the killing of “thousands of innocent men, women and children in Gaza” during his address to the Israeli parliament.
India, the world’s most populous nation with 1.4 billion people, is Hindu, but an estimated 220 million Indians are Muslim.
One of India’s largest conglomerates, the Adani Group, operates the Israeli port of Haifa, while Israeli military drone technology played a central role during India’s clash with Pakistan in May 2025.
