Israel's prime minister visited a Jewish centre in Mumbai on Thursday and unveiled a memorial to 166 people who were killed by militants who rampaged through the Indian city in a three-day siege in 2008.

Benjamin Netanyahu met with Moshe Holtzberg, a boy whose parents were among six people killed at the Chabad Centre during the attack. Netanyahu patted Moshe's shoulder and cheeks and posed for photographs.

Netanyahu said light would spread from the memorial to make the world a better place. Moshe, 11, thanked the prime minister for visiting the centre.

The Chabad Trust of India is converting parts of the building into a memorial for the victims of the attack, which also targeted a main railroad station, posh hotels and a cafe.

Moshe was two at the time of the attack and was saved by his nanny, Sandra Samuel, who found him by his parents' bodies. He left for Israel after the attack and returned to India for the first time on Tuesday.

Samuel was given Israeli citizenship and accompanied Moshe and his relatives back to Mumbai.

His parents were emissaries of the Chabad movement living in Mumbai. Chabad is a Hasidic group known for its religious outreach programs serving Jews worldwide.