NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra expressed his support to Israel during a call with his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, who discussed with the Indian leader on the Hamas terror attack and subsequent conflict.

Taking to social media platform X, Modi, who is known to share great camaraderie with Netanyahu, said that India stands “firmly with Israel in this difficult hour”, and condemned the terrorist attack.

“I thank Prime Minister @netanyahu for his phone call and providing an update on the ongoing situation. People of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult hour. India strongly and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”, the prime minister posted.

In response, the Israel embassy in India said, "Thank you, Prime Minister @narendramodi, for your unwavering support for #Israel. We extend our gratitude to all our Indian friends for standing firmly with Israel during these challenging times."

India's support is significant considering that it has historically backed the Palestinian cause. But under Narendra Modi, New Delhi has moved closer to Jerusalem, partly thanks to the bonhomie he shared with Benjamin Netanyahu.

This was evident in several international fora where Israel's assertiveness in the Gaza Strip was questioned. In 2015 and 2016, India abstained from a UN vote that discussed whether Israel should be brought before the International Criminal Court for its alleged war crimes during the 2014 crisis in Gaza. In 2017, the ties between India and Israel came closer when Modi became the first Indian prime minister to ever visit the Jewish nation.

With this, India has joined the Western countries, including US, UK, and France, who have pledged their support to Israel's "right to self-defence" against the terror attacks.

Meanwhile, Israeli troops have intensified attacks in Gaza in response to an all-front assault launched by the Palestine-based Hamas terror group.  

Netanyahu said that he would make all efforts to end this war and added that Israel has mobilised 300,000 troops, the largest since the 1973 Yom Kippur War when Israel called up 400,000 reservists.

"Israel is at war. We didn't want this war. It was forced upon us most brutally and savagely. But though Israel didn't start this war, Israel will finish it," said Netanyahu on October 9.

The Israeli leader lashed out at Hamas, saying that they will pay the price and will remember the same for a long time.

"Hamas will understand that by attacking us, they have made a mistake of historic proportions. We will exact a price that will be remembered by them and Israel's other enemies for decades to come," he said.