NEW DELHI: In a significant development in the Pahalgam terror attack investigation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has formally flagged the need to examine possible links between Pakistan-backed terror groups and Hamas.
In its charge sheet, the NIA said further investigation is required to establish whether the accused organisations - Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its proxy The Resistance Front (TRF) - have any connections with the Gaza-based Hamas, as well as other globally designated terrorist outfits, including Al Qaeda and its affiliates.
According to probe officials, their suspicion is based on the fact that they found some similarities in the modus operandi between the October 7, 2023 attacks against Israeli revellers and the April 22, 2025 attack on tourists in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam.
The disclosure marks what is believed to be the first time India’s premier anti-terror agency has named Hamas in an ongoing terror probe while examining its potential operational linkages with Pakistan-based groups.
According to the charge sheet, officials said, investigators are seeking to determine the nature, extent and operational dimensions of any such ties as part of a broader effort to map the international networks linked to the accused organisations.
The probe aims to establish whether global terror entities played any role in facilitating, inspiring or supporting terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir, they added.
The reference to Hamas assumes significance amid intelligence inputs gathered after the Pahalgam attack. The officials familiar with the probe said Indian agencies have noted increased interactions between Hamas and Pakistan-based terror outfits, including LeT and Jaish-e-Mohammed, in recent months.
Security agencies have also examined whether the Pahalgam attack bore tactical similarities to Hamas-style operations. Investigators have previously pointed to parallels in planning, target selection and execution, drawing comparisons with Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the officials said.
While investigators continue to pursue financial trails, digital evidence and cross-border networks linked to the attack, the NIA has indicated that establishing possible Hamas linkages remains a key unfinished aspect of the investigation.
The investigators believe the findings could offer important insights into emerging cooperation between Pakistan-backed terror groups and global jihadist organisations, they added.