Israel's Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon on Sunday called the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks "horrendous", comparing it with the Oct 7 Hamas terror attack on the Jewish nation. On the 15th anniversary of the 26/11 terror attacks, Gilon said the men came to Mumbai to disrupt life to create panic. " They wanted to transmit it - exactly like Hamas," he said.


Israel is currently engaged with Hamas terrorists in Gaza in a brutal war after the latter launched a surprise attack on Oct 7. Nearly 1,400 Israelis died in the attack while several thousands have been killed in Gaza since PM Benjamin Netanyahu-led government launched an offensive into the Gaza Strip.


"It's a horrendous phenomena when people come into your safe haven, to your houses in Mumbai to disrupt the life, to create panic. They wanted panic, they wanted to transmit it - exactly like Hamas. Their aim is not only to kill but also to create panic with the surviving, to make them afraid. We are telling the Indians, like India is always standing with Israel...they have to know, we are on your side. When you come to fight terrorism, there are no ifs or buts," he said.






He also quoted PM Narendra Modi's call to combat terrorism together, the Israeli envoy added, "We are working together...As PM Modi said rightly so that terrorism is a global phenomena, you have to join hands globally. Countries, free people of the world have to join hands and efforts in order to fight it. I think India and Israel demonstrate in our actions and friendship in what we do together, the joining of these hands to eliminate terrorism."






He said every country has had its watershed moment and "we have all suffered terrorism for ages and we still suffer - 9/11 for the US, 26/11 for India and 7th October for us. It's not like other terror acts. This is the thing that changes your DNA and thinking about how you have to treat terror and terrorists...The second population with the most casualties after the Indians were Jews and Israelis...It's something else that connects us and makes our bonds even stronger."


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