FM Sa'ar in India: "We will not give up on the disarmament of Hamas"

During his visit to India, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar stated on Monday in New Delhi that the dismantling of "the terrorist state of Hamas" was at the heart of the Trump plan for Gaza, reiterating that Israel "would not give up" on this objective during a meeting with his Indian counterpart, Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

“It is a great honor to be in New Delhi. I thank the Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Jaishankar, for his warm hospitality,” Sa'ar said at the opening of the meeting. “We appreciate Prime Minister Modi’s solidarity, and we remember that he was the first world leader to call Prime Minister Netanyahu after the massacre committed by Hamas on October 7. We will not forget it.”

The Israeli foreign minister emphasized that "radical terrorism is a common threat to Israel and India," firmly condemning "the terrible Pahalgham attack," a bombing carried out in April 2025 against tourists in the Baisaran valley that left 26 dead.

Saar mentioned the phenomenon of "terrorist states" in the Middle East: "Terrorist states have been established in recent decades: Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen. Uprooting them is necessary for the stability and security of the region."

“The dismantling of the terrorist state of Hamas is at the heart of the Trump plan. Hamas must disarm. Gaza must be demilitarized. We will not give up on this,” he insisted.

The Israeli minister also expressed his vision for bilateral relations: "I believe that India is the future. India is the largest democracy in the world. India is the fastest-growing economy in the world. India is a global power, and Israel is a regional power."

“There is already a warm friendship between our countries. Our goal is to build a long-term strategic partnership between the countries,” he added, emphasizing that Israel supports regional connectivity initiatives such as I2U2 and IMEC. “We want to promote links between South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. I believe that the future of regional partnerships is promising,” Saar concluded.

During the meeting between the foreign ministers, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the two countries regarding cooperation in the training of diplomatic cadets.

This visit comes two months after the signing in early September of a historic bilateral investment agreement between Israel and India, aimed at facilitating financial flows and strengthening economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

i24NEWS first published news at the end of October that a diplomatic airlift of Israeli officials to India is underway, with Foreign Minister Sa'ar's current visit in November, Netanyahu's planned for the following month, Defense Minister Katz in February, and President Herzog early next year.

Netanyahu is expected to visit Mumbai, India’s business capital, and Gujarat, Modi’s home state, as a personal gesture. Modi invited Netanyahu to February’s AI Summit, but Netanyahu chose to visit sooner. The two already spoke over the phone in October.

The planned meeting comes amid Modi’s steadfast support for Israel since Oct 7, shared concerns over radical Islam, & growing security alignment amid Pakistan’s threats. Sources say Netanyahu will be received with royal honors in New Delhi, a rare moment amid Israel’s diplomatic isolation.