Israeli Defence Forces Urges India to Designate Hamas as Terrorist Organization Following October 7 Attacks

Tel Aviv:

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) expressed on Monday that India's recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organization would be beneficial.

Hamas, formally known as Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya, emerged as a Palestinian Islamist movement in 1987 during the First Intifada, developing from the Muslim Brotherhood.

During a press briefing in Tel Aviv, Lt Col Nadav Shoshani, International Spokesperson for the IDF, stated, "It will be a good thing if India did. India and Israel have a common enemy. It will be good to have a clear statement on who we face." Currently, India has not officially designated Hamas as a terrorist group.

Several nations including the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada have classified Hamas as a terrorist organization. The group's core ideology revolves around armed resistance against Israel.

While India has not formally labeled Hamas as a terrorist entity, it has condemned the October 7, 2023, attacks and maintained its support for a two-state solution to the conflict.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas conducted an unprecedented attack against Israel, resulting in one of the deadliest days in Israeli history. The assault began in the early morning when Hamas militants infiltrated southern Israel through multiple routes – land, air, and sea – while simultaneously launching thousands of rockets from Gaza. The attackers breached Israel's security border using explosives, bulldozers, and paragliders, subsequently overrunning Israeli communities, kibbutzim, and military installations.

This attack led to the deaths of more than 1,200 people, including civilians, military personnel, and foreign nationals. Hamas fighters conducted mass shootings, set residential properties ablaze, and abducted over 240 hostages who were taken to Gaza. Numerous videos and eyewitness testimonies documented widespread violence, prompting Israel to describe the assault as its worst single-day terror attack ever experienced.

In response, Israel initiated a comprehensive military campaign in Gaza aimed at dismantling Hamas's military capabilities and political structure. The conflict rapidly intensified, causing extensive destruction, displacing large populations, and creating a severe humanitarian crisis throughout the Gaza Strip. The October 7 attacks fundamentally altered regional political dynamics, sparked global diplomatic initiatives, and heightened debates surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.