Jaishankar to visit Israel today, offers support to Australia after Bondi terror attack

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will arrive in Israel on Monday for bilateral talks with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

The visit comes a day after the terrorist attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, where two armed assailants opened fire on a crowd gathered to mark the first day of Hanukkah. The assault left 16 people dead and 29 others injured, including police personnel.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said he had spoken to Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong to express India’s condolences over the tragedy.

“Just spoke to Australian Foreign Minister @SenatorWong. Conveyed our deepest condolences about the Bondi Beach terrorist attack and offered our fullest support,” he wrote.

The MEA said the External Affairs Minister’s visit to Israel would focus on strengthening bilateral relations and holding consultations on regional and global developments.

Just last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a phone call from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during which the two leaders reviewed the progress of the India-Israel Strategic Partnership and reaffirmed their shared stance of “zero tolerance towards terrorism”.

Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the steady advancement of bilateral cooperation and agreed to deepen collaboration across key areas.