'It is time...': Israel urges India to designate Hamas a terrorist organisation

While acknowledging the close ties with India, Israel has called on New Delhi todeclare Hamas a terrorist organisation in the country. Israel's ambassador to India Naor Gilon on Wednesday (Oct 26) in a press briefing showered praises on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his statement post the horrific October 7 Hamas attack where he assured the terror-hit country that India stands firm with it in these unprecedented times.

"Prime Minister Modi was among the first leaders in the world to come out with a clear statement...this was before we had understood the full magnitude of what had happened...I think that set a very strong tone of clear condemnation of terrorism. It's important to us because India is a very close ally," Gilon said in the briefing.

The ambassador also appreciated the pivotal role played by India in its fight against terrorism."India is also a very important moral voice in the world and when it comes to terror, India is also coming from the point of view of someone who knows what they're talking about being victims for so many years of terrorism," he reportedly said.

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Hamas is a designatedterrorist organisation in several countries

Hamas' attack on Israel has led to the killing of thousands of Israeli citizens and this has once again brought the spotlight on the terrorist organisation that has long been active in the Gaza Strip. As the UNSC meets to find a resolution to the Israel-Hamas war, Israel is urging India to declare the militant group a terrorist organisation. Notably, Israel, the US, and the EU have already designated the Islamist militant group a terrorist organisation.

"I think that it's also time to officially designate Hamas as a terror organisation also in India. Most of the democracies, the EU, US, Canada, and Australia, I believe have already done this, and I think it's good," the envoy said.

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India has seen the ugly face of terrorism and has been the victim of Pakistan-based terror groups such asLashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The country on many occasions also voiced its concernson thepertinent issue on international platforms, asking Pakistan to stop its cross-border terrorism.

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"We spoke to the relevant authorities also here. It's not the first time we've spoken about it. We understand the problems of terror threats to each other. I think it's a natural thing. It's not something that we are putting pressure on. We are asking because I think it's something that is due because of our shared war on terror," Gilon said.

"We raised it after the attack and we are still in dialogue. We are speaking always with India. It's a friendly talk. We are not having battles on anything. We see eye to eye on a vast majority of things, on counter-terrorism for sure, but also in other strategic issues," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.