Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with India’s ambassador to Israel, J.P. Singh, in Jerusalem on Thursday.
Netanyahu and Singh “discussed the expansion of bilateral cooperation, especially on security and economic issues,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
Following the meeting, the prime minister “met with senior Indian journalists and answered their questions,” the PMO said.
In his conversation with journalists, Netanyahu discussed his plans for expanding the war against Hamas in Gaza, India’s NDTV reported.
The Israeli premier told the outlet that the terrorist group could nevertheless “end the war tomorrow” by surrendering and releasing the remaining 50 hostages.
Since Narendra Modi was elected India’s prime minister in 2014, New Delhi and Jerusalem have significantly deepened their strategic, economic and defense ties, driven by shared security concerns and technological collaboration. Bilateral trade has more than doubled since 2013, reaching a record $5 billion in 2024.
Of the 85,000 foreign workers who arrived in Israel to replace Palestinian labor following Hamas’s massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, about 25,000 came from India.
