Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, his wife Sara, as well as Rabbi Shimon Rosenberg and his grandson Moshe Holtzberg will leave Israel for India on Saturday night.
Holtzberg, 12, lost his parents Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg when terrorists brutally murdered them and four others nine years ago on the Chabad House his parents ran in Mumbai.
In the 2008 attack, Pakistan-based Islamist terrorists raided the Chabad House and murdered six people, including Gavriel and his wife Rivka, who was 5 months pregnant. Their two-year-old son Moshe was rescued by his Indian nanny, Sandra Samuel.
During a summer visit to Israel, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Moshe and his maternal grandparents, emphasizing that the family is always welcome in India and providing the three with the necessary visas.
The trip marks twenty-five years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, as well as six months since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to Israel last year.
Netanyahu will visit Delhi, Mumbai, and Gujarat, and Modi will accompany him during several parts of his visit.
In a Saturday night statement, Netanyahu said, "With this visit, I intend to strengthen the relations between our countries even more. This visit is an opportunity to work strengthen cooperation with a world leader in the fields of economy, security, technology, and tourism. Indian Prime Minister Modi is a close friend of Israel and of me personally, and I appreciate the fact that he himself will accompany during large portions of the trip."
Netanyahu will meet with Modi, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, and Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj. Professional meetings will be held, and agreements will be signed.
Netanyahu's entourage will be the largest ever to accompany an Israeli prime minister on an official visit, and its aim is to deepen and strengthen Israel's economic ties with India and to create joint business opportunities between Israeli and Indian businessmen.
The Prime Minister will meet India's most senior businessmen, and will hold additional economic events together with Modi and a forum of CEOs of large companies both in Israel and India.
Together with Modi, Netanyahu will participate in the second annual Raisina conference on geopolitics and geo-economics. He will also meet the leaders of India's Jewish community, as well as the heads of India's cinematography industry.
Netanyahu and his wife will also visit the grave of Mahatma Gandhi, and participate in ceremonies marking the terror attack on the Taj Palace and the Chabad House in Mumbai.
Bilateral agreements on energy, cyber, and aviation will be signed, and the leaders are expected to discuss a detailed working plan for the next five years, in accordance with the government's decision to strengthen the countries' ties.