New Delhi: In the first high-level visit to Israel since the start of the Gaza war last October, Indian national security advisor Ajit Doval met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday and discussed the ongoing conflict.
The Indian side did not officially announce the visit, with news of the meeting emerging from the Israeli prime minister’s office late on Monday night.
The Israeli account of the discussion, as shared on X, highlighted that the primary topic was the ongoing violence.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met today with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and updated him on recent developments in the fighting in the Gaza Strip. The sides also discussed the effort to release the hostages and the issue of humanitarian assistance,” said the post.
The Indian prime minister has had several phone calls with the Israeli prime minister and Palestinian president, but this is the first visit by a senior Indian official in the last five months.
The meeting was also attended by Netanyahu’s top aides, director of the national security council, foreign policy advisor, as well as the Indian ambassador to Israel.
Immediately after Hamas launched a terror attack on October 7, the Indian prime minister had solely expressed solidarity with Israel. More than 1,200 Israeli and foreign citizens were killed and 250 taken hostage.
The Israeli military operation, which began with aerial bombing, followed by ground invasion of Gaza strip, has led to the death of over 30,000 people, including 25,000 women and children.
After the scale of the deaths in Gaza became evident, India nuanced its position on the crisis by asserting that while terrorism was unacceptable, humanitarian aid had to be given at the earliest and reiterated traditional support for the two-state solution.
India voted in favour of a December 2023 resolution in the UN General Assembly which called for an immediate ceasefire.