Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress MP and general secretary, has strongly condemned the BJP-led central government's "silence and inaction" regarding Israel's actions against Palestinians, labelling them "barbaric" and "genocidal". In a post on X, Vadra asserted that the Israeli state is committing genocide, claiming it has murdered over 60,000 people, including 18,430 children, and is threatening millions with starvation. She stated that "enabling these crimes by silence and inaction is a crime in itself".

Her remarks provoked a swift and forceful reaction from Reuven Azar, the Israeli Ambassador to India, who described her statements as "shameful deceit". Azar countered Vadra's claims, asserting that Israel has killed 25,000 Hamas terrorists. He attributed the high civilian death toll to "Hamas’s heinous tactics of hiding behind civilians, their shooting of people trying to evacuate or receive assistance and their rocket fire".

The Ambassador also noted that Israel facilitated two million tonnes of food into Gaza, claiming Hamas attempts to "sequestrate" it, thereby creating hunger. He dismissed the notion of genocide, citing a 450% growth in Gaza's population over 50 years and advising Vadra not to "buy Hamas numbers". Vadra has previously carried a 'Palestine' emblazoned bag to Parliament and criticised the Modi government for abstaining from a UN vote on the conflict. While Vadra has been outspoken, the Congress party has generally "treaded a careful line on the Palestine issue".