We welcome any help from India for release of over 200 hostages: Israel Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon

We appreciate Joe Biden’s visit; he is the leader of the biggest friend of Israel. America is a great supporter of Israel. As for the war, we believe it is going to be a long haul. After the barbaric October 7 attack by the Hamas on our people, killing more than 1,400 women, children and elderly, and even kidnapping more than 200, we have decided to make sure the Hamas doesn’t have the capacity to do something like this ever again.

Wounded Palestinians in Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City after arriving from Al-Ahli hospital following an explosion there. AP

But Israel has also come under attack for collateral damage to civilians on the other side, especially in the wake of the hospital blast. Do you think collateral damage is inevitable during a conflict of this scale?

Unfortunately, yes. The Hamas is using civilians as human shields. They were given time and warning to evacuate the southern part of the Gaza Strip before our offensive, but they chose to field civilians. It is clear that they want collateral damage so that they can put international pressure on us to stop us. They want to use dead civilians as protection, but we are not going to stop.

As for the hospital attack, they are the ones who did it. We are very sorry that while trying to kill Israeli children, the Hamas killed their own children too.

Regarding the October 7 attacks, did Israel ever anticipate attacks of this scale?

Twelve days later, after the southern part of Israel came under violent attack by the Hamas, we are now seeing disturbance spreading towards the northern part. There is concern that Iran is trying to unleash Hezbollah to open up a second front, but we will contain them as well.

The Iran connection is clear; they have been training, aiding and arming Hamas for many years now. As of now, these are mostly border skirmishes, unlike the full-scale war on the southern side, but things can escalate at any time.

What are your expectations from India in this situation?

We were moved that the first reaction from Prime Minister Narendra Modi came on the same afternoon, even before the full picture was out. He again expressed solidarity after speaking to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a few days later. Not just the Indian PM, we have got a show of support from all levels here — officials, ministers, civil society, and even people on social media.

We would welcome any help from India for release of over 200 Israeli hostages — including several foreign nationals – who are still being held by the Hamas terrorists.

Is there a way to get the world to put pressure on the Hamas to release the hostages?

The top Hamas commanders are living a life of luxury in places like Istanbul and Qatar. We understand that India has a special place in the world. Many countries are trying to put pressure on the Hamas to secure the release of the innocent civilians who await a brutal and violent fate at the hands of the Hamas, like hostages held by the Islamic State. If India is able to speak to people who have influence over them, we would welcome that.