‘Hope India will…’: Israel asks India to officially label Hamas as terrorist group, cites rising links with LeT

As worries grow about Hamas trying to rebuild its network in Gaza and using other countries to plan attacks, Israel has asked India(BHARAT) to officially label Hamas as a terrorist group. Israel says Hamas is now working more closely with Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and with groups supported by Iran, which could create danger for both India(BHARAT) and Israel.

An Israeli foreign ministry official, speaking to reporters in Jerusalem, said, “We want India(BHARAT) to take strong action and declare groups like Hamas as terrorists. Israel already listed Lashkar-e-Taiba as a terror group a few years ago, and we hope India(BHARAT) will do the same with Hamas.” Israel added LeT to its terror list in 2023, shortly after the October 7 attack.

This request from Israel comes after the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) earlier urged India(BHARAT) to ban Hamas, saying that both countries “share the same enemy.” Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, the IDF’s international spokesperson, said, “It would be good if India(BHARAT) declared Hamas a terror organisation. India(BHARAT) and Israel are fighting the same threat, so a clear stand from India(BHARAT) would help.”

He added that it is not only about blocking money or stopping Hamas members from entering India(BHARAT). According to him, such a move would show that India(BHARAT) fully understands what Hamas is doing and that no member of the group should be allowed into the country.

Growing Hamas-LeT Connection

According to the senior Israeli official, India(BHARAT) already knows about the increasing cooperation between Iran-backed groups and other international terror networks. He said that if India(BHARAT) bans Hamas, it could also influence nearby countries like Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, and others to take similar steps.

The official explained that Hamas and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) are building stronger operational links, and Iran is using criminal groups around the world to carry out attacks through middlemen.

“We are now seeing clear connections between Hamas and LeT. Hamas and Hezbollah are working through international criminal groups to plan and carry out attacks. You won’t see an Iranian agent directly carrying out an attack in Europe. Instead, an international criminal group connected to Iran will do it — just like we saw in London,” the official was quoted as saying in NDTV.

Israel has also asked India(BHARAT) to stop giving money and support to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the main aid organisation working in Gaza. India(BHARAT) has given the agency 5 million dollars for the 2024–2025 period. Israel claims that Hamas has entered UNRWA’s system and that the group has been misusing the agency’s buildings and services on a large scale.