• Source:JND
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Israel has formally urged India to designate Hamas as a terrorist organisation, citing growing operational ties between the Gaza-based militant group, Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Iran-backed proxy networks. Israeli officials said the evolving nexus poses a direct security threat not only to Israel but also to India and the wider region.

Speaking to journalists in Jerusalem, a senior Israeli foreign ministry official said Israel expects “reciprocation” from India, noting that Tel Aviv designated Lashkar-e-Taiba as a terror group in 2023, a month after the October 7 attacks.“Our request is that India must work hard to sanction and designate organisations such as Hamas as terrorist groups. We have taken action against Lashkar-e-Taiba. We would like to see a similar step from India,” the official said.

IDF Says India And Israel Face ‘Common Enemy’

The demand follows similar appeals from the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, the IDF’s International Spokesperson, said a ban by India would send a powerful geopolitical signal. “It will be a good thing if India designates Hamas as a terror group. India and Israel have a common enemy. This is not just about freezing assets. It is about drawing a clear red line that no Hamas operative should step on Indian soil,” he said.

Israeli officials claimed that Hamas has expanded its coordination with LeT as part of a broader Iran-backed terror network operating through international criminal proxies. “We are seeing significant links between Hamas and Lashkar-e-Taiba. Hamas and Hezbollah are using international criminal proxies to carry out attacks. You will not see an Iranian operative acting directly in Europe. Instead, an international proxy linked to Iran will do it,” the official said.

Israeli sources added that banning Hamas could also influence counterterror policies in India’s neighbourhood, including Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Nepal.

Israel Urges India To Reconsider UNRWA Funding

Israel has also requested India to halt financial support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), accusing it of being infiltrated by Hamas. India contributed USD 5 million to UNRWA in 2024–25. Israeli officials alleged that the agency’s facilities have been systematically misused by terror operatives. However, they acknowledged India’s balanced diplomatic approach across West Asia.

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Israeli officials warned that Iran has not altered its regional strategy despite the 12-day conflict with Israel in June and subsequent US strikes on Iranian nuclear assets. “We believed Iran’s policy would shift after the war. Instead, Tehran is doubling down on proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah,” the official said, adding that international pressure on Iran remains inadequate.

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Israel also expressed concern over Iran’s growing footprint in Africa, particularly in Sudan. According to Israeli officials, Tehran is using Sudan as a logistics base for weapons transfers and as a potential forward node for Hamas operations, taking advantage of the country’s civil war and its strategic Red Sea location.

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