SAEDNEWS: “The US sends the message that it wouldn’t like the war [in Gaza] to spread, but the fuel for the war machine in Gaza is supplied by the Americans; the US is preventing the establishment of a ceasefire in Gaza,” President Rayeesi said before leaving Tehran for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to attend an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
“This emergency summit is being held with the issue of Palestine on its agenda; Iran had made a call for the meeting a month ago, but it was postponed several times for some reason,” the president explained.
“Heads of Islamic states are expected to adopt a single decision on the question of Palestine, which is the most pressing issue in the world, and to fully implement it,” he underscored.
He, meantime, deplored the Israeli brutalities against Palestinians as “war crimes", and called for action rather than words to stop the Israeli war machine.
“If the crimes being committed nowadays in Gaza are not crimes against humanity, what is a fine example of such criminal acts then?" Iran's president asked.
On October 7, Hamas launched a multi-pronged surprise military operation via land, sea and air. The group announced it was in response to the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians. The attacks have so far killed more than 1,400 and injured over 5,000, according to Israeli officials. Hamas also announced it is holding between at least 200 and 250 hostages.
Following the multi-front attack by Hamas, Israel carried out heavy bombardment across the Gaza Strip, killing nearly 11,000 Palestinians, including at least 4,000 children and over 3,000 women, and wounding over 30,000 others, and levelling entire neighbourhoods.
Tel Aviv has ordered a "complete siege" of Gaza, saying it would halt its supply of electricity, food, water and fuel. Israel’s military has also ordered 1.1 million people living in Northern Gaza to evacuate their homes, amid signs it is set to ramp up its offensive.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Tel Aviv will not agree to a ceasefire with the Palestinian movement Hamas because it would mean surrender. He added Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip has entered its third stage which includes expanding ground operations in the enclave.
The bombing, as well as enforced displacement orders by the Israeli Army, has pushed 1.5 million people out of their homes.
The Gaza Health Ministry has also confirmed that the healthcare system in the besieged territory has “totally collapsed due to the Israeli war”.
The UN agencies have warned that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is "catastrophic", calling for more international help as conditions deteriorate in the densely populated besieged enclave.
Iranian officials say the current status in West Asia resembled a powder keg which could spiral out of control. They caution that if diplomatic efforts to stop Israeli relentless bombardment and prevent a ground offensive on Gaza are unsuccessful, there is a risk of the conflict escalating uncontrollably, with multiple regional players joining the fight.
Gaza is one of the most densely populated places on Earth, where some 2 million people live in an area of 140 square miles. It has been almost completely cut off from the rest of the world for nearly 17 years. More than half of its population lives in poverty and is food insecure, with nearly 80% of its population relying on humanitarian assistance.
Tehran says the history of the apartheid regime is full of assassinations, massacre, torture and killing of Palestinian kids, and described Tel Aviv regime's atrocities and massacre of Palestinian women and children as indicative of the destitute of Zionists. Iranian officials say the Tel Aviv regime has been struggling for more than 70 years to exit its identity crisis which has been mixed with genocide, plunder, forced displacement and scores of other inhumane moves - FARS
