'Would like to visit India soon': Netanyahu signals deepening India-Israel ties

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during an event at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Jerusalem on July 27, 2025. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday expressed his desire to visit India in the near future, highlighting the strong and growing partnership between the two nations.

"I would like to come to India soon," he said after meeting India's Ambassador to Israel J P Singh in Jerusalem, where the two discussed the expansion of bilateral cooperation, especially on security and economic issues.

Netanyahu voiced strong support for India’s strategic stance amid its ongoing tariff dispute with US President Donald Trump, noting that there is a “basic understanding in Washington DC that India is a solid partner”.

Highlighting India’s growing influence, Netanyahu described it as a nation that “stands out in Asia”. He also portrayed India-US ties as a bond between “two terrific friends with so much common ground”, expressing optimism that the two nations “should be able to find a solution” to their present differences.

The Prime Minister also highlighted Israel’s strong defence ties with India, pointing to the successful use of Israeli equipment during Operation Sindoor. He said the gear was “battle-proven” and “worked well”, showing how effective and reliable Israel’s defence exports are.

Netanyahu also said that Israel intends to take military control of all of Gaza and will eventually hand it over to armed forces that will govern it properly.

"We intend to," Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News when asked if Israel would take control of the entire 26-mile strip. "We don't want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don't want to govern it. We don't want to be there as a governing body."

The last round of talks, which began with marked optimism, collapsed two weeks ago after the US and Israel pulled their delegations from Qatar, with US envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of negotiating “in bad faith.” Hamas said it is ready to return to the negotiating table, but only once enough humanitarian aid enters Gaza.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said it was “pretty much up to Israel” whether to occupy all of Gaza, effectively giving Netanyahu the green light to proceed however he wants.

The Israeli military says it already controls some 75% of Gaza following 22 months of war, which has left much of the territory in ruins and triggered a humanitarian crisis. The expanded operation would see Israel encircle and potentially enter the few remaining areas in Gaza that are outside its direct control in an effort to destroy Hamas. Such a scenario would leave Israel legally responsible for the welfare of Palestinians in Gaza, which is facing a starvation crisis.