‘Links With Lashkar-E-Taiba’: Israel Urges India To Designate Hamas As Terror Group

Last Updated:April 16, 2026, 23:54 IST

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar stressed that Israel has been engaged in a prolonged fight against “radical Islamist groups”.

Israel has urged India to formally designate Hamas as a terrorist organisation, citing that the group’s ties with Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and other radical Islamist terror organisations pose a growing security threat to both India and Israel.

While speaking during a virtual interaction with Hindu leaders from around the world, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar stressed that Israel has been engaged in a prolonged fight against “radical Islamist groups" and warned that such organisations pose a broader global threat. He added that Israel has weakened these networks but stressed that the impact of the conflict goes beyond the Middle East.

“I stressed the importance of Hamas being designated as a terror organization by India. Hamas has ties with all other radical Islamist terror organizations, including Lashkar-e-Taiba. Israel demonstrated on all fronts that it has the upper hand. It dramatically weakened the terror octopus of radical Islam, headed by the Iranian regime. This struggle has, and will have, implications beyond the Middle East.

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Sa’ar said he was honored to brief the group and highlighted what he described as strengthening ties between Israel and India.

“I spoke about the positive trends in the strengthening of Israel’s relations with India, and the great importance we attach to this relationship. I also spoke about the historic campaign Israel had been forced to fight for the past 2.5 years against radical Islam. Their declared objective is the elimination of Israel, and they act to achieve that goal," he said.

A senior official in Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, speaking to reporters in Jerusalem, suggested there is an understanding within the Indian government of the “networks and linkages" connected to these groups.

The official indicated that ties between Hamas and LeT were “significant", adding that Iran’s IRGC, Hamas, and Hezbollah increasingly rely on transnational criminal networks to stage attacks worldwide.

“You’re not going to see an Iranian operative act directly in Europe. What you will see is a criminal group connected to an Iranian handler who then carries out an attack," the official said, illustrating the indirect methods used by these entities.

The interaction included figures such as Abhishek Verma, Shiv Sena’s chief national coordinator for the NDA alliance and elections, humanitarian leader Mohanji, and spiritual leader Gauranga Das Prabhu.

India has previously expressed strong support for Israel following the October 2023 attacks by Hamas. During a visit to Israel earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the violence and reaffirmed India’s stance against terrorism.

“I also carry with me the deepest condolences of the people of India for every life lost and for every family whose world was shattered in the barbaric terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7. We feel your pain. We share your grief. India stands with Israel firmly, with full conviction in this moment and beyond. No cause can justify the murder of civilians. Nothing can justify terrorism. India has also endured the pain of terrorism for a long time," Modi said during an address at Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, in February.

(With inputs from agencies)

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