Indiaâs arms sale to Israel risks complicity in Gaza genocide, Amnesty says
Rights group says India continues to support the Israeli military despite genocide âbroadcast worldwide on an almost daily basisâ. India continues to supply arms to
Rights group says India continues to support the Israeli military despite genocide âbroadcast worldwide on an almost daily basisâ. India continues to supply arms to Israel despite a âsubstantial riskâ of them being used in the âongoing genocide against Palestiniansâ in Gaza, according to a report by Amnesty International. In a report shared with Al Jazeera, the Britain-based rights group on Thursday documented how India has âforged a close and profitable partnership with the Israeli defence sector and has become a significant contributor to the supply chains that support Israelâs military operationsâ. âAmnesty International investigators analysed 2,596 shipments of weapons, ammunition, parts and components shipped from India to Israel since 7 October 2023,â the report titled The Supply of Weapons and Ammunition to Israel said, referring to the beginning of the massive Israeli offensive on Gaza. According to the report, Indian companies have supplied at least 390,516 small arms parts for military-grade weapons, 564,970 parts of explosive ordnance â such as drone warheads and artillery shell casings â and 298 components of military vehicles to Israeli military suppliers.
Amnesty said it used shipment trade data to reveal how weapons, ammunition, parts and components were shipped to Israeli companies that supply them to the countryâs army. The rights group said its researchers âsystematically excludedâ shipments that may have been destined for civilian use, adding that they identified Indiaâs exports of weapons and ammunition, including parts and accessories, categorised under the internationally recognised Harmonised System codes (HS Code) 93+ and 8710+. Earlier this year, Al Jazeera also obtained 91 Indian customs export documents covering arms-related shipments to Israel in 2024 under the classification code 93069000, which refers to âbombs, grenadesâ, according to Indiaâs Ministry of Commerce and Industryâs customs book. The documents showed Indian firms exporting weapons components to Israeli arms manufacturers, including Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, IMI Systems Limited and MCT Materials. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2024 issued provisional measures that ordered Israel to take action to prevent genocide in Gaza. Since then, many human rights groups and independent United Nations experts have called Israelâs actions in Gaza a genocide.
Agnes Callamard, Amnesty Internationalâs secretary-general, said the groupâs report âreveals Indiaâs continuing support to the Israeli military and defence sector despite the genocide in Gaza, which has been broadcast worldwide on an almost daily basis for yearsâ. âIndia manufactures and supplies arms transferred to Israel through its ownership and control over key supplier companies,â Callamard said. âNot only has India failed to regulate arms exports to Israel by private companies in line with international law and standards, it has also deepened its defence partnership with Israel.â Historically, India and Israel have deep ties in the areas of defence and security matters. India has been Israelâs largest defence purchaser for years, including 29 percent of the total sales between 2020 and 2025, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Israel ranked third during the same period in Indiaâs list of countries it sells arms to, with 15 percent of the imports coming from there â after Russia with 40 percent and France with 29 percent, SIPRI data shows.
