Modi touts ‘vital’ ties in Knesset speech

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told lawmakers in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, on Wednesday that India stands with Israel "firmly with full conviction."

Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Israel, said he carries "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."

The October 7 terror attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian groups on Israel killed some 1,200 people, with 251 people taken hostage. In response, Israel launched a military operation that has lasted over two years in Gaza, with Israeli media reporting that Israel accepted the estimate from the Gaza Health Ministry that over 70,000 Palestinians were killed in the war.

"We feel your pain, we share your grief. India stands with Israel firmly with full conviction in this moment and beyond," Modi said.

The Indian leader did not mention the loss of Palestinian life in the war during his Knesset address. A UN special committee and a commission of inquiry as well as outside academic experts have labeled Israel's actions in Gaza a "genocide." Israel denies this characterization.

At the Knesset, Modi said "countering terrorism requires sustained and coordinated global action," and added that India "supports all efforts that contribute to durable peace and regional stability."

Modi expressed support for the Israel's normalization of relations with other Arab countries in the region, known as the Abraham Accords. He also affirmed his backing of US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan.