Day: October 8, 2023
Tehran (AFP) – President Ebrahim Raisi said on Sunday that Iran supports the Palestinians’ right to self-defence and warned Israel must be held accountable for endangering the region, a day after Hamas attacked Israel.
Issued on: 08/10/2023 – 16:28Modified: 08/10/2023 – 16:31
2 min
Palestinian militants from the Iran-backed Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip, penetrated Israel at dawn on Saturday under the cover of a massive rocket barrage.
Almost 1,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far, with Israel reporting more than 600 lives lost and Gaza’s health ministry putting its toll at 370 dead.
“Iran supports the legitimate defence of the Palestinian nation,” Raisi said, quoted by state television.
“The Zionist regime (Israel) and its supporters are responsible for endangering the security of nations in the region, and they must be held accountable in this matter.”
He urged Muslim governments to “support the Palestinian nation” while praising “resistance” efforts by Hamas and Islamic Jihad as well as in countries including Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.
Raisi had spoken earlier with leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, official media said.
State news agency IRNA said he had “discussed the developments in Palestine” in separate phone calls with Islamic Jihad secretary general Ziyad al-Nakhalah and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh.
Pro-Palestinian gatherings
The Islamic republic hosted talks with leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in June.
At the time, Raisi said Israel was seeking to normalise ties with more Arab and Muslim countries “to discourage young Palestinians from (seeking to) liberate the occupied territories”, according to the presidency.
On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered in major cities of Iran, including in Tehran’s Palestine Square, carrying the Palestinian flag.
They also held pictures of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a US drone attack in Baghdad in 2020 after overseeing the Revolutionary Guards’ foreign operations for more than a decade.
Billboards celebrating the offensive Hamas has dubbed “Al-Aqsa Flood” were installed in the capital, including one declaring: “The great liberation operation has begun”.
Crowds in some cities set off fireworks and torched Israeli flags.
Others marched in Palestinian colours while motorists honked their horns in jubilation, as seen in video footage from IRNA.
Iran does not recognise Israel and has made support for the Palestinian cause a centrepiece of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The bitter rivals have engaged in a shadow war for years, with Iran accusing Israel of a series of sabotage attacks and assassinations targeting its nuclear programme.
The United States and Israel have previously accused Iran of using drones and missiles to attack US forces and Israel-linked ships in the Gulf.
© 2023 AFP
Israeli ambassador Naor Gilon on Sunday accused Iran of having a hand in organising the deadly terror attacks that have killed hundreds of people and said the support of countries such as India is needed for Israel’s actions to prevent further atrocities.
The surprise attacks by Hamas militants from Gaza on Saturday, including rocket barrages and assaults on towns, killed around 600 Israelis and injured 2,000 more. More than 250 Palestinians were killed as Israeli defence forces targeted Hamas targets in Gaza.
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“It’s clear to us that Iran is involved with it. We know for sure about the supplying of weapons, training, and I will not exclude even organising or helping organise this specific attack,” Gilon told a media briefing in Delhi. “Our evidence is very clear…we know of many attempts of Iran to supply weapons to Hamas.”
In an apparent reference to Israel’s efforts to normalise ties with Arab countries through the Abraham Accords, Gilon said the “huge and significant change” being made to West Asia by Israel could be one of the reasons why “countries like Iran and other extremists are trying to derail” this process.
Noting that Israel’s neighbours too perceive Hamas as a “terror organisation”, he said there is convergence of interests and all countries should continue working together against extremism.
Gilon emphasised the importance of support for Israel’s actions from countries such as India but made it clear his country hasn’t sought any specific assistance from the Indian side.
Israel, he said, will need the “very strong support of our Indian friends and India as a very influential country in the world, as a country that knows terrorism and understands the crisis”. He added: “It will be very important for us, to give us the ability to do what we need to do in order to make sure that Hamas will not be able to continue doing atrocities.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi denounced the terror attacks on Saturday and said India stands in solidarity with Israel. “Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel…We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour,” Modi posted on X.
The Israeli envoy ruled out the possibility of mediation at the current juncture, saying it was “time to take action against terror”. He added, “Mediation maybe will come, maybe will not come in future…now it’s time for action.”
Asked about countries such as China that have not specifically condemned the violence and instead highlighted the need for talks leading to the two-state solution, Gilon said Israel expects all countries to speak out against the attacks.
“We expect all countries in the world to, first and foremost, condemn the unprovoked murder and kidnapping of hundreds of Israeli civilians, women, men, elderly, children. This is unacceptable…Terror is terror is terror, anything else but condemnation is justifying the terrorism,” he said.
Gilon acknowledged that the situation has been complicated because the attackers have taken Israeli hostages. “The ability of Israel to inflict pain on an organisation like Hamas is endless. The only thing that is stopping us is not Hamas, it’s the human population that we try, in any way, not to hit,” he said.
Israeli authorities are compiling lists of foreigners and Israelis in areas that were attacked, and have also been contacted by different embassies about missing people, Gilon said. While the attackers had entered some 20 communities on Saturday, they are now present in only a few pockets, where they have been surrounded by Israeli troops.
Meanwhile, India’s representative office in Palestine has issued a public notice in view of the security situation and asked Indian nationals in the region to directly contact the office to address any emergency or assistance. It provided numbers for two 24-hour emergency helplines: Jawwal 0592-916418 and WhatsApp +970-59291641.
The Indian embassy in Israel had issued an advisory on Saturday, urging Indians to exercise caution and avoid movement. There were no immediate reports of any Indian casualties in the fighting. There are some 18,000 Indian citizens in Israel, including 900 students.
A group of 27 Indians from Meghalaya, caught in the conflict zone while on a pilgrimage, safely crossed the border into Egypt through the efforts of the external affairs ministry and the Indian mebassy, Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma posted on X.
Air India suspended all flights between New Delhi and Tel Aviv till October 14 to ensure the safety of passengers and crew, an airline spokesperson said.
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Israeli ambassador Naor Gilon on Sunday accused Iran of having a hand in organising the deadly terror attacks that have killed hundreds of people and said the support of countries such as India is needed for Israel’s actions to prevent further atrocities.
The surprise attacks by Hamas militants from Gaza on Saturday, including rocket barrages and assaults on towns, killed around 600 Israelis and injured 2,000 more. More than 250 Palestinians were killed as Israeli defence forces targeted Hamas targets in Gaza.
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“It’s clear to us that Iran is involved with it. We know for sure about the supplying of weapons, training, and I will not exclude even organising or helping organise this specific attack,” Gilon told a media briefing in Delhi. “Our evidence is very clear…we know of many attempts of Iran to supply weapons to Hamas.”
In an apparent reference to Israel’s efforts to normalise ties with Arab countries through the Abraham Accords, Gilon said the “huge and significant change” being made to West Asia by Israel could be one of the reasons why “countries like Iran and other extremists are trying to derail” this process.
Noting that Israel’s neighbours too perceive Hamas as a “terror organisation”, he said there is convergence of interests and all countries should continue working together against extremism.
Gilon emphasised the importance of support for Israel’s actions from countries such as India but made it clear his country hasn’t sought any specific assistance from the Indian side.
Israel, he said, will need the “very strong support of our Indian friends and India as a very influential country in the world, as a country that knows terrorism and understands the crisis”. He added: “It will be very important for us, to give us the ability to do what we need to do in order to make sure that Hamas will not be able to continue doing atrocities.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi denounced the terror attacks on Saturday and said India stands in solidarity with Israel. “Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel…We stand in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour,” Modi posted on X.
The Israeli envoy ruled out the possibility of mediation at the current juncture, saying it was “time to take action against terror”. He added, “Mediation maybe will come, maybe will not come in future…now it’s time for action.”
Asked about countries such as China that have not specifically condemned the violence and instead highlighted the need for talks leading to the two-state solution, Gilon said Israel expects all countries to speak out against the attacks.
“We expect all countries in the world to, first and foremost, condemn the unprovoked murder and kidnapping of hundreds of Israeli civilians, women, men, elderly, children. This is unacceptable…Terror is terror is terror, anything else but condemnation is justifying the terrorism,” he said.
Gilon acknowledged that the situation has been complicated because the attackers have taken Israeli hostages. “The ability of Israel to inflict pain on an organisation like Hamas is endless. The only thing that is stopping us is not Hamas, it’s the human population that we try, in any way, not to hit,” he said.
Israeli authorities are compiling lists of foreigners and Israelis in areas that were attacked, and have also been contacted by different embassies about missing people, Gilon said. While the attackers had entered some 20 communities on Saturday, they are now present in only a few pockets, where they have been surrounded by Israeli troops.
Meanwhile, India’s representative office in Palestine has issued a public notice in view of the security situation and asked Indian nationals in the region to directly contact the office to address any emergency or assistance. It provided numbers for two 24-hour emergency helplines: Jawwal 0592-916418 and WhatsApp +970-59291641.
The Indian embassy in Israel had issued an advisory on Saturday, urging Indians to exercise caution and avoid movement. There were no immediate reports of any Indian casualties in the fighting. There are some 18,000 Indian citizens in Israel, including 900 students.
A group of 27 Indians from Meghalaya, caught in the conflict zone while on a pilgrimage, safely crossed the border into Egypt through the efforts of the external affairs ministry and the Indian mebassy, Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma posted on X.
Air India suspended all flights between New Delhi and Tel Aviv till October 14 to ensure the safety of passengers and crew, an airline spokesperson said.
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