Social media users say Israel's war on Gaza 'greenlit' India's assault on Pakistan

Social media has been flooded with condemnations after India’s attack on Pakistan, with many suggesting it was emboldened by Israel’s assaults on Gaza and the muted response from the international community.

India said on Wednesday it carried out "precision strikes” on “terrorist camps” across nine sites in Pakistan, as its neighbour promised to retaliate. Pakistan said the strikes hit civilian areas, with official Pakistani sources reporting that 26 civilians were killed and 46 injured in these attacks. 

India’s attack on Pakistan has driven many online to draw parallels to Israel’s common justification of its attacks on Gaza, which have killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, on unproven claims of “terrorist activity”.

The two nuclear-armed states have been on edge since last month when India blamed Pakistan for a deadly attack in India-administered Kashmir, which killed more than two dozen people. 

India's "precision strikes" came after Pakistan on 30 April said it had credible intelligence that a military incursion by India was "imminent" in the aftermath of the deadly attack on the tourist hub of Pahalgam in India-administered Kashmir that killed 26. 

Pakistan has denied any involvement in the Pahalgam attack, and India has yet to provide any evidence of the attackers' alleged links to Pakistan.

“Reminder - there is no evidence whatsoever, certainly nothing provided by India, that suggests Pakistan (or even Kashmiris) were involved in the Pahalgam attack,” journalist Sana Saeed wrote in a post on X.

“But then again, as we have learned over the last 19 months, evidence isn’t necessary anymore if you wanna bomb people.” 

India striking multiple sites in Pakistan is a sign of how unhinged the country has become, following Israel’s flagrant contempt for international law and diplomacy. To date they have provided zero evidence to substantiate their wild claims making them a rogue actor.

— fatima bhutto 🇵🇸🇱🇧 (@fbhutto) May 6, 2025

Although India has undertaken similar tactics in Kashmir and Pakistan before the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023 and Israel’s subsequent war on Gaza, many online argue that Israel has “greenlit” countries like India to engage in "global violence" without any shame. 

"Israel’s genocide in Gaza has greenlit global violence. If the West lets them bomb civilians with impunity, why shouldn’t India, the UAE, or others do the same? The rules based order was always a lie… now the world sees it," one social media user posted on X. "No consequences = no limits."

Cannot help but wonder to what extent has Israel hollowed out international law for India to feel confident enough to target civilian areas across an internationally recognized border.

— Aimun (@bluemagicboxes) May 6, 2025

"This is what happens when genocidal actors like Israel is not held accountable to international law. India decides to break all semblance of common sense and attacks a nuclear armed state, thinking it won't face any consequences," another social media user wrote. 

Many online pointed out that Pakistan and its citizens condemned the attack in Pahalgam last month, and were invested in investigating the perpetrators. The Pakistani government called for an impartial international inquiry into the incident.

"Not a single Pakistani I saw took joy in the Pahalgam attack, everyone condemned it. Yet countless Indians on Twitter are openly celebrating the death of an innocent child," one post reads. 

"The western media, like India’s media, are framing India’s attack as a response to Pahalgam," journalist Azad Essa wrote on X. "That India is run by an authoritarian, anti-Muslim, Hindu right wing govt with expansionist ambitions, which has military/diplomatically supported Israel’s genocide is not seen as relevant."  

Pakistan repeatedly called for de-escalation & offered support for investigations into the Pahalgam attack. India responded by committing a war crime by killing civilians, including a baby, in the middle of the night. From here onwards, this war is on India and India alone.

— Fiza (@fizakhawar) May 6, 2025

Pakistani officials on Wednesday attended a funeral for a boy, aged seven, who was killed in India's strikes. 

Palestinians have also drawn parallels between Israel and India as they offer their thoughts to Pakistan and Kashmir online.  

“India under a fascist regime clearly wants to take advantage of a world that can’t stop even the most obvious genocide ever,” Palestinina-American Imam Omar Suleiman wrote on X. “May Allah protect Pakistan, and the innocent people of the world at the mercy of small tyrants with big weapons.” 

Pakistan?

— Hind Khoudary (@Hind_Gaza) May 6, 2025

While there are many parallels to be drawn between Israel and India, many social media users say that it is “dangerous” to draw a parallel between Pakistan and Palestine and “the actual Palestine analogue” is Kashmir.

"The Indian government and its Hindutva nationalists are evil but you can't compare Pakistan to Palestine considering the former is a nuclear weapon with a proper military to fend for itself while the latter doesn't," one social media user posted. 

In addition, many have highlighted that the people of Kashmir will "lose more than anyone else" in a war between India and Pakistan. 

The people of Kashmir lose more than anyone else every time India and Pakistan fight it out over the region. Tightened military control. Suffocating spot checks. Curfews. Raids. Insecurity that anyone might be an insurgent. Thoughts with Kashmiri families.

— Noor Ejaz Chaudhry (@noorejazch) May 6, 2025

"The worst part is, while India and Pakistan posture for power, it’s Kashmiris on both sides who pay the price. school children, farmers, underdog towns no one can pronounce, will die before the world learns their names," one post reads.