Israeli ambassador Naor Gilon on Sunday accused Iran of having a hand in organising the deadly terror attacks that have killed hundreds of people and said the support of countries such as India is needed for Israel’s actions to prevent further atrocities.
The surprise attacks by Hamas militants from Gaza on Saturday, including rocket barrages and assaults on towns, killed around 600 Israelis and injured 2,000 more. More than 250 Palestinians were killed as Israeli defence forces targeted Hamas targets in Gaza.
“It’s clear to us that Iran is involved with it. We know for sure about the supplying of weapons, training, and I will not exclude even organising or helping organise this specific attack,” Gilon told a media briefing in Delhi. “Our evidence is very clear…we know of many attempts of Iran to supply weapons to Hamas.”
In an apparent reference to Israel’s efforts to normalise ties with Arab countries through the Abraham Accords, Gilon said the “huge and significant change” being made to West Asia by Israel could be one of the reasons why “countries like Iran and other extremists are trying to derail” this process.
Noting that Israel’s neighbours too perceive Hamas as a “terror organisation”, he said there is convergence of interests and all countries should continue working together against extremism.
Gilon emphasised the importance of support for Israel’s actions from countries such as India but made it clear his country hasn’t sought any specific assistance from the Indian side.
Israel, he said, will need the “very strong support of our Indian friends and India as a very influential country in the world, as a country that knows terrorism and understands the crisis”. He added: “It will be very important for us, to give us the ability to do what we need to do in order to make sure that Hamas will not be able to continue doing atrocities.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi denounced the terror attacks on Saturday and said India stands in solidarity with Israel. “Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel…We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour,” Modi posted on X.
The Israeli envoy ruled out the possibility of mediation at the current juncture, saying it was “time to take action against terror”. He added, “Mediation maybe will come, maybe will not come in future…now it’s time for action.”
Asked about countries such as China that have not specifically condemned the violence and instead highlighted the need for talks leading to the two-state solution, Gilon said Israel expects all countries to speak out against the attacks.
“We expect all countries in the world to, first and foremost, condemn the unprovoked murder and kidnapping of hundreds of Israeli civilians, women, men, elderly, children. This is unacceptable…Terror is terror is terror, anything else but condemnation is justifying the terrorism,” he said.
Gilon acknowledged that the situation has been complicated because the attackers have taken Israeli hostages. “The ability of Israel to inflict pain on an organisation like Hamas is endless. The only thing that is stopping us is not Hamas, it’s the human population that we try, in any way, not to hit,” he said.
Israeli authorities are compiling lists of foreigners and Israelis in areas that were attacked, and have also been contacted by different embassies about missing people, Gilon said. While the attackers had entered some 20 communities on Saturday, they are now present in only a few pockets, where they have been surrounded by Israeli troops.
Meanwhile, India’s representative office in Palestine has issued a public notice in view of the security situation and asked Indian nationals in the region to directly contact the office to address any emergency or assistance. It provided numbers for two 24-hour emergency helplines: Jawwal 0592-916418 and WhatsApp +970-59291641.
The Indian embassy in Israel had issued an advisory on Saturday, urging Indians to exercise caution and avoid movement. There were no immediate reports of any Indian casualties in the fighting. There are some 18,000 Indian citizens in Israel, including 900 students.
A group of 27 Indians from Meghalaya, caught in the conflict zone while on a pilgrimage, safely crossed the border into Egypt through the efforts of the external affairs ministry and the Indian mebassy, Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma posted on X.
Air India suspended all flights between New Delhi and Tel Aviv till October 14 to ensure the safety of passengers and crew, an airline spokesperson said.
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