Gaza Herald — Indian government-owned and private defense companies shipped at least 2,596 consignments of weapons, ammunition, and military components to Israel during its war on Gaza, according to a new report released Thursday by Amnesty International.
The report says the shipments, delivered between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025, included machine-gun components, 155 mm high-explosive artillery shell parts supplied to Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems, explosive warheads for SkyStriker loitering drones, and armored vehicle components destined for companies supplying the Israeli military.
Amnesty said its investigation identified 564,970 explosive ordnance components, including drone warheads and artillery shell casings, 390,516 military-grade small-arms parts, and 298 armored vehicle components exported from India to major Israeli defense manufacturers.
The organization said the transfers continued while Israel carried out its military campaign in Gaza, where, according to Palestinian health authorities, 247,387 Palestinians had been killed or injured as of July 29, 2026.
Conservative Methodology
The findings were published in Amnesty’s report, Made in India: The Supply of Weapons and Ammunition to Israel, which states that its conclusions are based on what the organization described as a deliberately conservative research methodology.
According to Amnesty, the actual scale of Indian military exports linked to Israel’s defense sector is likely higher than the figures documented in the report.
Researchers examined international customs records using Harmonized System (HS) codes, the global classification system used to identify traded goods.
The investigation focused on shipments listed under HS codes 9301 through 9307, which cover weapons, ammunition, and their parts and accessories, as well as HS code 8710, covering armored and combat vehicles and related components.
Amnesty said investigators excluded shipments identified only by internal product numbers when they could not determine whether the items were intended for military or civilian use.
The organization also omitted hundreds of shipments involving dual-use small-arms components and items believed to be connected to missile defense systems, stating that its approach was designed to avoid overstating the available evidence.
Growing Scrutiny of India’s Military Exports
The report adds to growing international scrutiny of India’s military trade with Israel during the war on Gaza.
In recent months, Palestinian advocacy organizations and international campaign groups have raised concerns over the continued transfer of military equipment and components from India to Israel despite mounting civilian casualties and widespread destruction across Gaza.
Earlier this year, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement and the campaign No Harbour for Genocide warned that military supplies from India to Israel had increased significantly, saying Israeli weapons manufacturers rely on imported components for parts of their production chain.
Separate findings published by Al Jazeera, based on Israeli Tax Authority import records, identified India as the second-largest exporter of military-related goods to Israel between October 2023 and October 2025. The investigation noted that the available customs data reflected only part of overall military trade and did not identify how individual shipments were ultimately used.
Amnesty said its investigation identified several companies, including state-owned enterprises, that supplied military-related goods to Israel during the reporting period.
The organization said it contacted nine companies as well as the Indian government before publication but received no responses.
Amnesty Urges India to Halt Arms Transfers
Amnesty International said the documented shipments raise serious concerns in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and international legal obligations.
In a statement accompanying the report, Amnesty Secretary General Agnès Callamard said the provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which recognized a plausible risk of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, placed a responsibility on governments to prevent actions that could contribute to violations of international law.
She said Indian authorities could not credibly maintain that they were unaware of the legal risks associated with continuing to authorize and facilitate arms transfers to Israel under those circumstances.
Callamard also said that while Israeli forces continued their military campaign in Gaza, Indian companies continued supplying military components and munitions destined for Israel’s defense sector.
Expanding India-Israel Defense Partnership
Military and strategic cooperation between India and Israel has expanded significantly over the past decade under Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu.
India is the world’s largest buyer of Israeli weapons, while several Israeli defense manufacturers have established production facilities in India through joint ventures with local companies.
Earlier this year, the two governments elevated their relationship to what they described as a Special Strategic Partnership for Peace, Innovation and Prosperity, further strengthening cooperation in defense, technology, and security.
Since then, the partnership has continued to grow through new agreements and discussions on additional defense projects, including the possible production of Iron Dome interceptor missiles in India.
India Rejects Calls for an Arms Embargo
Diplomatically, New Delhi has remained one of Israel’s strongest international partners throughout the war on Gaza.
India has declined to join South Africa’s case before the International Court of Justice concerning Israel’s obligations under the Genocide Convention and has rejected calls to impose an arms embargo on Israel.
Authorities have also taken action against pro-Palestine demonstrations and activism inside India.
In September 2024, India’s Supreme Court dismissed a petition filed by civil society organizations seeking to halt military exports to Israel, ruling that foreign policy decisions fall within the authority of the executive branch rather than the judiciary.
External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has repeatedly said India’s arms exports are determined by the country’s national interests and its international commitments.
Speaking in December 2024, Jaishankar said India’s exports with potential military implications are guided by “our national interest” and emphasized India’s longstanding security partnership with Israel.
He added that Israel had supported India during periods when its own national security faced threats.
Amnesty’s findings have renewed scrutiny of India’s defense relationship with Israel, raising fresh questions about the continued flow of military equipment during the war in Gaza and its implications under international law.
