Senior Hamas terrorist Naji Zaheer met LeT commander Rashid Ali Sandhu in Pak's Gujranwala

Indian central agencies have reported a significant increase in coordination between Hamas and Pakistan-based terror organisations following the Pahalgam attack of April 2025, reported News18.

Officials familiar with the matter have confirmed that at least four verified meetings between the two sides have taken place across multiple locations since the incident, with two occurring in close succession.

This pattern has been interpreted as deliberate and coordinated outreach, suggesting a deepening relationship.

Sources have indicated that the Pahalgam attack bore tactical hallmarks consistent with Hamas-style operations, with similarities in planning methodology and execution. Agencies have documented that some of these meetings were conducted secretly at locations identified by Indian intelligence.

The engagements spanned Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, two cities in Pakistan, and two locations in Bangladesh, signalling a broadening geographic scope. Groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed were reportedly involved in these contacts.

Intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have suggested that the relationship between Hamas and Pakistan-based groups has moved beyond ideological alignment towards potential logistical and operational cooperation.

This includes the possible exchange of tactical and operational knowledge. Some officials have also flagged the role of established regional networks in facilitating these contacts, with indications that a secondary base may be under consideration.

Agencies have issued alerts based on ongoing intelligence monitoring, noting that the surge in contact has heightened concerns within the security establishment. The convergence of capabilities and intent among transnational militant actors across the region is seen as a growing threat.

Precisely 75 days after senior Hamas leaders were seen at a high-profile rally and conference in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which also featured top leadership from Lashkar-e-Taiba and Lashkar-e-Mustafa, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed its most lethal civilian-targeted terror attack in more than two decades.

The Pahalgam attack has been described as a Hamas-style strike, closely resembling the October 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel that triggered a full-scale war. The modus operandi, target selection, and coordination were uncannily similar, though the scale of violence differed.

Agencies had inputs suggesting that an attack in Jammu and Kashmir was being planned, and sources confirmed that the terrorists used a route from Poonch, which was nearest to the site where the conference had been conducted.

News18