On 12th August, Israel’s Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, strongly countered Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s accusation that Israel is committing genocide in Palestine. He pointed out that Israel is killing terrorists and it is Hamas that is causing civilian deaths.
What is shameful is your deceit. Israel Killed 25,000 Hamas terrorists. The terrible cost in human lives derives from Hamas’s heinous tactics of hiding behind civilians, their shooting of people trying to evacuate or receive assistance and their rocket fire. Israel facilitated 2… https://t.co/e3lSUwfmXH
— ?? Reuven Azar (@ReuvenAzar) August 12, 2025
Priyanka had claimed over 60,000 people, including 18,430 children, had been killed, accusing the Indian government of remaining silent. Priyanka also condemned the killing of five Al Jazeera journalists, calling it an attempt to silence truth, as global scrutiny over the Gaza conflict and civilian suffering continues to mount.
Azar called her remarks “shameful” and “deceitful”, asserting that Israel had killed 25,000 Hamas terrorists and that civilian casualties were due to Hamas’s use of human shields, obstruction of aid, and rocket attacks. He added that Israel had facilitated two million tonnes of food into Gaza and accused Hamas of seizing supplies.
In his social media post, Azar said, “What is shameful is your deceit. Israel killed 25,000 Hamas terrorists. The terrible cost in human lives derives from Hamas’s heinous tactics of hiding behind civilians, their shooting of people trying to evacuate or receive assistance and their rocket fire. Israel facilitated 2 million tonnes of food into Gaza while Hamas tries to sequestrate them, thereby creating hunger. Gaza population has grown 450% in the last 50 years, no genocide there. Don’t buy Hamas numbers.”
Azar dismissed the genocide claims and cited Gaza’s 450% population growth in 50 years. He urged the world not to trust Hamas’s figures.
