India and Israel have pledged to strengthen cooperation in trade and defense. Narendra Modi's visit to Israel has drawn criticism amid tensions over Israel's genocidal war in Gaza.
Redaksiya reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, concluding his two-day controversial visit, stated that India and Israel will cooperate more closely on defense technologies and will also seek to reach a free trade agreement. Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu announced at a joint press conference in Jerusalem that they will also develop cooperation in technologies such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, and that their countries have signed several bilateral agreements.
"The future belongs to innovators, and Israel and India are focused on innovation," Netanyahu said. "We are ancient civilizations, proud of our past. But we are determined to seize the future, and we can do it better together." The joint statement emphasized cooperation in the field of "horizon scanning," described as a mechanism that "helps identify global trends emerging in areas such as technology, economy, and society by using data." Israel has agreed to allow an additional 50,000 Indian citizens to enter the country to work in construction and caregiving, as tens of thousands of South Asians have been working in these sectors since the start of the war in Gaza led to new restrictions on Palestinian workers.
Modi's second visit since taking office in 2014 has drawn criticism in India, signaling India's expansion of strategic ties with Israel amid ongoing tensions over Israel's genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza. The leaders' joint statement referenced Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and an attack on tourists and civilians in Pahalgam, Kashmir, under Indian control, in April 2025. Modi stated, "Terrorism cannot be accepted in any form." He has historically supported the creation of a Palestinian state but has sometimes refrained from criticizing Israel in international forums, including the United Nations. Earlier this month, India was among the countries that condemned Israel's measures to effectively deepen its control over the occupied West Bank. Both countries also appreciated U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to advance a "ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip.