Hamas links in Pakistan, Bangladesh should concern all nations: Israel Envoy to India

New Delhi: Israel’s Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, on Wednesday, January 28, expressed serious concern over Hamas leaders’ interactions in Pakistan and Bangladesh, saying such engagements should worry all nations.

“We think this is something we must fight against. The fact that Hamas has been interacting in the region – in Pakistan, in Bangladesh – should make us all worry,” Azar said in an exclusive interaction with PTI Videos.

The ambassador also said that India and Israel have been engaging in dialogues on these issues.

“We are engaging in dialogues on these issues, and I hope we will find the ways to protect ourselves from any future attempts (of attacks),” Azar said.

He noted that the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel emboldened various terrorist organisations worldwide to carry out similar acts.

Azar also drew parallels to incidents such as the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, where people were targeted based on their religion.

“Unfortunately, we see that the terrorist attack of October 7 inspired different terrorist organisations around the world to commit similar crimes. We’ve seen occurrences like that, in Pahalgam for example, where people were murdered based on their religion,” Azar said.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s potential visit to Israel, Azar confirmed that its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has extended an invitation.

“Netanyahu has invited Prime Minister Modi and we hope to see him in Israel soon,” he said.

On the Gaza situation, Azar said Israel welcomes efforts for peace and diplomacy to end the over two-year war in the region.

“I think we have a chance for diplomacy and peace to succeed, to replace two years of war. That’s very important,” Azar said.

He also stressed that such efforts should lead to the dismantlement of Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

On the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), Azar said consultations are underway between India and Israel.

“I think it’s very important, both for India and Israel, to explore all the ways to enhance trade and make sure that logistically, we can reduce the costs of trade and increase the speed of delivery,” Azar said.

This depends on other countries too, he said, but added that much can be done bilaterally.

“Israel has a task force led by its minister of transport, which is investing time and resources in infrastructure to facilitate increased trade, linked to India’s growing economy,” the ambassador emphasised.

On Tuesday, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that the IMEC figured prominently with the European Union (EU) leaders during negotiations on the landmark India-EU free trade agreement (FTA).

“There was a discussion on it, and there was consensus that the IMEC initiative should be taken forward,” Misri said, adding that India and the EU agreed to move beyond working-level meetings to higher-level consultations, eventually leading to a summit of IMEC member countries.