India steps up arms supplies to Israel, sent almost 3,000 arms consignments since October 7

Lead

A new Amnesty International report has documented 2,596 shipments of weapons, ammunition, parts and components shipped from India to Israel since October 7, 2023, the start of the massive Israeli offensive on Gaza. The report, titled The Supply of Weapons and Ammunition to Israel, was shared with Al Jazeera and has drawn attention to India's role as a significant contributor to Israel's military supply chains.

Coverage Comparison

Al Jazeera framed the report as evidence that India continues to support the Israeli military despite a "substantial risk" of the arms being used in what Amnesty describes as an "ongoing genocide against Palestinians" in Gaza. The Jerusalem Post, by contrast, focused on the broader defense relationship, noting that India ranks second in the world's defense importers after Ukraine and is the most prominent customer of Israel's defense industries.

Key Claims

According to the Amnesty International report, Indian companies supplied at least 390,516 small arms parts for military-grade weapons, 564,970 parts of explosive ordnance—such as drone warheads and artillery shell casings—and 298 components of military vehicles to Israeli military suppliers. The rights group said its researchers systematically excluded shipments that may have been destined for civilian use, using shipment trade data to identify exports categorized under internationally recognized customs codes.

Al Jazeera also reported that the International Court of Justice issued provisional measures ordering Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza, a point that contextualizes the human rights concerns raised by Amnesty.

The Jerusalem Post added that data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows about 29% of Israel's defense exports in 2021-2025 were to India, which remained Israel's number one defense export destination despite a $3.5 billion deal to sell the Arrow 3 system to Germany (21% of exports). SIBAT data cited by the paper indicates Israeli defense exports in those years totaled $71 billion.

The Jerusalem Post noted that the roots of these supplies lie in the activities of Israeli defense companies, led by Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Rafael, which have adapted to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Made in India" policy. That policy aims to increase local independence, with India tightening self-reliance requirements and setting a threshold of at least 50% local production.

India and Israel signed a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation on November 4, 2025, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Perspectives

• Amnesty International: The rights group characterizes India's arms supplies as contributing to supply chains supporting Israel's military operations, with a "substantial risk" of use in an "ongoing genocide against Palestinians" in Gaza.
• Jerusalem Post: The Israeli newspaper frames the shipments within the context of a robust bilateral defense partnership, highlighting India as Israel's top export destination and the commercial logic of the relationship.