New Delhi, Jan. 25 -- Diplomat Jitender Pal Singh, currently posted in the external affairs minister's office, was on Friday named India's new envoy to Israel.

Singh, who also headed the crucial Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division in the external affairs ministry since 2020, is expected to take up the new assignment shortly, an official statement said.

The position of envoy to Tel Aviv is one of the most important diplomatic assignments in West Asia, given India's growing strategic and technology ties with Israel, which is home to more than 32,000 Indian nationals.

Singh will take up the post at a time when Israel and Hamas have agreed on a ceasefire to end 15 months of fighting triggered by the terror attacks of October 7, 2023.

Singh, ...