With Hamas already labeled a terrorist group by several countries, Israel is pressing for formal recognition from India.
Photo : AP
Israel has called on India to classify Hamas as a terrorist organisation, indicating that ties between Hamas and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were “significant”. Israel noted that it has already proscribed LeT and expects “reciprocation” from India with senior Israeli officials saying that New Delhi’s stance carries significant regional influence
A senior official in Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, speaking to reporters in Jerusalem, said there is an understanding within the Indian government of the “networks and linkages” connected to these groups.
“Our request from India is to work hard to sanction and designate these organisations as terrorist groups. Israel designated Lashkar-e-Taiba a couple of years ago, and we would like to see this reciprocated,” the official said, ANI reported.
The official added that Iran’s IRGC, Hamas, and Hezbollah increasingly rely on transnational criminal networks to stage attacks worldwide.
“You’re not going to see an Iranian operative act directly in Europe. What you will see is a criminal group — a drug lord, a human trafficker or another network — connected to an Iranian handler who then carries out an attack, as we’ve seen in Scandinavia or in London,” the official in the Israeli foreign ministry said.
Hamas, founded in 1987 is designated a terrorist organisation by the US, UK, Canada and several other countries. India condemned the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel but has not formally listed Hamas as a terrorist organisation under domestic law.
Designation by India would have a global impact: Israel
Stressing that even a declaratory designation by India would have a “strong global impact”, another official said neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Maldives “look up to India”, and New Delhi’s stance shapes regional responses.
“It’s not only about freezing assets or banning operatives from entering India. It signals that India has clearly seen what Hamas is doing, and no operative should step on Indian soil,” the official added, according to the report.
“We are putting pressure on India to designate Hamas… After having designated Lashkar-e-Taiba, we would like to see the same,” the official said.
He also pointed to “clear attempts” by Hamas to rebuild its structures. “The next phase of the US-proposed ceasefire requires Hamas to dismantle, and that remains central,” he said.