In the wake of the brutal terror attack on civilians in Pahalgam, Israeli Ambassador to India Reuven Azar called the ambush “barbaric” and condemned Pakistan for allegedly hosting Hamas terrorists.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, Azar drew parallels between the Kashmir attack and the October 7 Hamas-led massacre in Israel last year. “This is an atrocious, barbaric attack. People have the right to vacation in peace. It’s shocking and unacceptable,” he said.

Azar warned of increasing cooperation between terror groups, pointing to reports of Hamas leaders meeting with Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir earlier this year. “Terror cannot be tolerated, contextualized, or justified. The fact that Hamas terrorists were invited to Pakistan is a bad sign of things to come,” he stated.

Highlighting similarities between the Pahalgam incident and the 2023 Israeli attack, Azar described both as acts driven by a “death cult” ideology. “It’s the same distorted interpretation of religion, the same supremacist thoughts,” he said.

The Israeli envoy also voiced support for India’s response, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and India’s achievements in stabilizing Jammu and Kashmir. He assured continued cooperation and intelligence-sharing between the two nations in the fight against terrorism.

“All countries that support terrorism must be exposed and isolated. India has shown determination, and this is a watershed moment,” Azar concluded.