Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 10: In a major strategic statement, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi has named Hamas among the terrorist organisations India is now concerned about, placing it alongside Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), The Resistance Front (TRF), and others.
Speaking at an event at IIT-Madras, Gen Dwivedi said, “Terrorist groups such as Hamas, LeT, TRF, and some more names… they’ll be a permanent part that India is concerned about.”
This is the first time an Indian Army chief has publicly labelled Hamas as a terror group, marking a possible shift in India's counter-terror policy. India has previously refrained from officially designating Hamas as a terrorist organisation, unlike the US, UK, and EU.
Hamas drew global condemnation following its October 7, 2023, attack on Israeli civilians, which triggered the ongoing Gaza war, now estimated to have claimed over 60,000 lives, including many children. Despite having no direct role in Kashmir, Hamas appeared in India’s security radar earlier this year.
On February 5, which Pakistan observes as ‘Kashmir Solidarity Day,’ videos surfaced online showing Hamas representatives in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) alongside known Pakistani terror outfits like LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed, issuing anti-India threats and calling for the “liberation” of Kashmir. These developments caused concern in New Delhi's security establishment.
Until now, India had avoided officially listing Hamas as a terror group — partly to maintain diplomatic balance in West Asia, where it maintains ties with both Israel and Arab states. However, General Dwivedi’s remarks may indicate a recalibration of India’s threat perception, especially in the wake of Operation Sindoor and increasing evidence of global terrorist networks intersecting with the Kashmir conflict.
His statement signals a broader lens in India’s counter-terrorism framework — one that looks beyond regional actors to include transnational militant networks with potential influence on India’s internal security.