Paper Details

Abstract The horrific and brutal attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza led to a significant transformation in West Asian politics, creating geopolitical and humanitarian consequences. The Gaza war crisis provided a new diplomatic challenge for India, which has built a comprehensive strategic partnership with Israel while simultaneously held long-standing support for the Palestinian demands and close ties with Arab states. Against this backdrop, the present study assesses the impact of the Gaza War on India–Israel relations and examines India's measures to balance competing strategic, political and economic interests in the wider region. This research paper adopts a qualitative approach based on secondary sources such as government documents, official statements by diplomats and scholarly literature, the paper suggests that the conflict has not changed the core trajectory of India–Israel relations. India has successfully maintained strategic autonomy while adopting a balanced diplomatic approach to preserve its broader interests in West Asia. The study finds that defence cooperation, technological collaboration and counterterrorism convergence between both nations continue to underpin bilateral relations, whereas India's long held traditional support for two-state solution and humanitarian assistance reflects its diplomatic balancing. The paper concludes that India's response to the Gaza crisis reflects the significance of strategic autonomy in formulation of its foreign policy and highlights the challenges New Delhi confronts in a hostile and volatile region.

Key Words - Diplomatic balancing, Gaza War, India–Israel relations, Strategic autonomy, Strategic partnership, West Asia.