Netanyahu thanks India, PM Modi for delivering HCQ to Israel
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Netanyahu thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India two days after a plane carrying raw material to manufacture medicines for treating coronavirus patients arrived in Israel from India on Tuesday.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday thanked his Indian counterpart for rushing a five-tonne cargo of medicines, including anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, being seen worldwide as the best possible cure as of now for treating COVID-19 patients.
Netanyahu thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India two days after a plane carrying raw material to manufacture medicines for treating coronavirus patients arrived in Israel from India on Tuesday.
"Thank you, my dear friend @narendramodi, Prime Minister of India, for sending Chloroquine to Israel. All the citizens of Israel thank you!" Netanyahu said in a tweet Thursday evening.
The five tonne shipment included ingredients for drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine.
The dreaded coronavirus has infected nearly 10,000 people in Israel and claimed 86 lives.
The Indian consignment reached Israel within days after Netanyahu spoke to PM Modi on April 3.
Netanyahu had been in touch with Modi ever since the coronavirus crisis erupted. He had made a special request on March 13 asking the Indian prime minister to approve and allow export of masks and pharmaceuticals to Israel.
The Israeli leader spoke to Modi a second time on April 3 to discuss various steps to deal with the coronavirus crisis.
Netanyahu's gratitude towards India followed soon after US President Donald Trump and Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro thanked PM Modi for lifting restrictions on the export.
On March 25, India banned export of hydroxychloroquine in the midst of views in some quarters that the drug could be used to fight COVID-19. India is the largest exporter of the drug. The ban was partially lifted on Tuesday.