Israel envoy flags Hamas leaders’ contacts in Pakistan, Bangladesh
PARBATTANEWS DESK
Israel’s ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, has expressed “serious concern” over Hamas leaders’ interactions in Pakistan and Bangladesh, saying such engagements should worry all nations, the Press Trust of India reported on Wednesday.
“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 interview with PTI Videos, according to the news agency.
He said India and Israel have been holding discussions on the issue and expressed hope that they would find ways to protect themselves from future attack attempts.
Azar also said the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack in Israel had emboldened various militant groups worldwide to carry out similar acts.
He cited what he described as the 2025 Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir as an example, saying 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 said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has invited Modi and Israel hopes to host him soon.
On the Gaza situation, he said Israel welcomes diplomacy to end the more than two-year war, but stressed that any process should result in the dismantlement of Hamas as a “terrorist organisation”.
On the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), Azar said consultations are under way between India and Israel to enhance trade, reduce logistics costs and speed up delivery, while noting that progress also depends on other countries, the report said.
Israel has formed a task force led by its transport minister and is investing resources in infrastructure to facilitate increased trade linked to India’s growing economy, Azar said.
Separately, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Tuesday that IMEC featured prominently in discussions with European Union leaders during negotiations on the India–EU free trade agreement, and that there was consensus to take the initiative forward, according to the same report.
