Tel Aviv [Israel], December 1 (ANI): The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Monday said it would be beneficial if India formally recognized Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Hamas, or Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya, is a Palestinian Islamist group formed in 1987 during the First Intifada as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.
“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,” Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, International Spokesperson for the IDF, told reporters when asked.
Currently, India has not designated Hamas as a terrorist organization, though it has condemned the October 7, 2023, attacks and supports a two-state solution. Hamas is recognized as a terrorist group by countries including the US, UK, and Canada. Its ideology centers on armed resistance against Israel.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas carried out a large-scale assault on Israel, marking one of the deadliest days in the country’s history. Hamas fighters crossed into southern Israel by land, air, and sea after firing thousands of rockets from the Gaza Strip. Militants breached Israel’s high-security border fence using explosives, bulldozers, and motorized paragliders, overrunning towns, kibbutzim, and military posts.
The attacks killed more than 1,200 people, including civilians, soldiers, and foreign nationals. Hamas militants also abducted over 240 hostages and set homes on fire, prompting Israel to declare it the worst single-day terror attack in its history.
In response, Israel launched a large-scale military offensive in Gaza aimed at dismantling Hamas’s military and political infrastructure. The conflict resulted in extensive destruction, mass displacement, and a worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The October 7 attacks reshaped regional geopolitics, sparked global diplomatic engagement, and intensified debates surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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