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A newly released Amnesty International report has documented the scale of India's weapons and ammunition exports to Israel since October 2023, warning that such transfers could make India complicit in alleged violations of international law in Gaza. The report, titled 'Made in India: The Supply of Weapons and Ammunition to Israel', uses shipment-level trade data to detail the deepening defense relationship between the two countries, even as Israeli operations in Gaza face international scrutiny.

The report's findings have sparked contrasting interpretations: while some voices highlight the legitimacy of the defense partnership, others express alarm over the potential legal and moral implications for India.

Coverage Comparison

The report's release was covered by The Jerusalem Post and The Hindu, each offering a distinct perspective. The Jerusalem Post's coverage emphasized the strategic shift in the India-Israel defense relationship, framing the bilateral partnership as a legitimate and growing alliance. The Hindu's coverage, meanwhile, focused on the critical implications of India's arms exports, stressing concerns about alleged war crimes and human rights violations.

While both outlets reported on the same core facts—the number of shipments and the report's central warning—their framing differed markedly, reflecting their respective editorial perspectives.

Key Claims

The Amnesty International report alleges that India's supply of weapons and ammunition to Israel could make India complicit in "crimes against humanity of apartheid, genocide and other crimes under international law." The report uses shipment-level trade data to support its claims, noting that the Indian government became a significant supplier for Israel's military operations through a close partnership with the Israeli defense sector.

According to the report, more than 2,500 shipments of small arms, parts, and ammunition—including machine gun components, explosive warheads, and artillery shells—were exported from India to Israel between October 7, 2023, and November 30, 2025. Of these, at least 788 shipments were determined to have military purposes. The Jerusalem Post's coverage cited a slightly different figure of 2,596 shipments, including at least 390,516 parts for military-grade small arms and 564,970 parts of explosive ordnance, over the same period.

The report identified several Indian private manufacturers, such as PLR Systems (a joint venture between the Adani Group and Israel Weapon Industries), Indo-MIM, Kalyani Strategic Systems, and Ashoka Manufacturing, as having failed to regulate their arms exports to Israel. It also found that government-owned entities like Munitions India, India Optel, and Advanced Weapons and Equipment India supplied high explosive artillery shells, mortar launchers, and sensor components to Israeli companies Elbit Systems and Semiconductor Devices.

Amnesty International called for an immediate halt to arms transfers to Israel and a comprehensive embargo covering weapons, components, technologies, technical assistance, and training.

Perspectives

Amnesty International

The report argues that India's arms exports to Israel could make India complicit in serious violations of international law, including alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. It calls for an immediate cessation of arms transfers and a comprehensive embargo.

Dr. Oshrit Birvadker

Dr. Oshrit Birvadker, senior national security expert and director of the South and East Asia Center at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, expressed "severe reservations" about the report's validity. She argued that the report presents no evidence of intent or official policy by India to facilitate unlawful combat operations or human rights violations. She described the India-Israel relationship as a "legitimate defense and commercial partnership between two democracies," and warned that severing the relationship could set back India's objective of technological self-reliance "by decades."