New Delhi: India stands in solidarity with Israel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday as he denounced the terrorist attacks in the West Asian country that killed at least 22 people and left more than 200 others injured.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared ‘his country is at war’ after early morning surprise attack from the Gaza Strip by Hamas. Israeli combat jets carried out air strikes on Hamas locations in Gaza amid growing concerns in the international community that the attacks could lead to fresh conflict.

“Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families. We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour,” Modi posted on X. The message was reposted by external affairs minister S Jaishankar.

The Indian embassy in Israel issued an advisory that called on Indian citizens to exercise caution and avoid movement in the wake of the attacks. There were no immediate reports of any Indian casualties in the fighting.

“In view of the current situation in Israel, all Indian nationals in Israel are requested to remain vigilant and observe safety protocols as advised by local authorities,” the advisory said.

“Please exercise caution, avoid unnecessary movement and stay close to safety shelters. For additional information, please see the Israeli Home Front Command website (https://www.oref.org.il/en) or their preparedness brochure,” it said, referring to the Israeli military unit responsible for civil defence and preparing the civilian population for conflict or disaster.

In case of any emergency, the advisory said, Indian nationals should contact the email ID cons1.telaviv@mea.gov.in or the phone number +97235226748.

According to the Indian embassy’s website, there are some 18,000 Indian citizens in Israel, who primarily work as caregivers for elders, diamond traders and IT professionals. This figure includes about 900 Indian students.

There are also 85,000 Israeli nationals of Indian origin.

In New Delhi, Israeli ambassador Naor Gilon referred to his government’s “Swords of Iron” operation and said his country is fighting to repel coordinated terrorist attacks that are “war crimes”. He appreciated the “support of the people of India as we stand firm in the face of terrorism”.

Gilon said in a statement: “Israel is currently fighting to repel coordinated, large and multi-pronged Palestinian terror attacks. These attacks, which were launched early this morning by Hamas on our civilians, sleeping peacefully in their beds, in cities and villages of south and central Israel, are war crimes.”

He added, “The cowardly actions of Hamas, targeting and killing women, children and elderly, injuring hundreds of civilians and firing indiscriminately over 2,000 missiles and rockets at our cities, came during the sacred Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. Israel will repel this combined assault of rocket fire and ground infiltration of Hamas terrorists and will take any and all actions to protect our citizens.”