Israel launched a brutal bombing campaign on Gaza more than three weeks ago and has since killed at least 8,525 Palestinians.
Iran’s foreign minister held crucial meetings with Qatari and Hamas officials in Qatar on Tuesday, marking his second visit to the Gulf nation since Israel began its relentless onslaught on Gaza earlier this month.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani said Tehran seeks immediate ceasefire as well as the removal of Israel’s siege on Gaza, Iranian media reported following the FM’s visit to Doha as part of diplomatic efforts related to the Palestine issue.
During his visit on Tuesday, Hossein Amirabdollahian met with Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the country’s Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. The separate meetings saw the officials take on developments in the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza.
In his meeting with the amir, Amirabdollahian handed Sheikh Tamim a verbal message from Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi pertaining to a number of regional and international issues, in particular the escalations in Palestine.
In a post by IRNA on X, Raisi said “the brutal bombardment of the Jabalia Camp in #Gaza with the direct participation of the US is another stain on the long list of crimes committed by the Zionists and their supporters.”
The diplomatic trip took place against the backdrop of ongoing turmoil in the region, with Amirabdollahian expressing tribute to the Palestinian martyrs, particularly those caught in the crossfire of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
During the FM’s meeting with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Amirabdollahian stated: “There is no doubt that the Palestinian nation and resistance are the definitive winner on the battlefield,” as quoted by Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The resistance groups in the region make decisions and do not necessarily wait for political decisions. Therefore, if the war crimes of the Zionist regime continue and the scope of conflict and war expands, no party will be unaffected by its implications and consequences,” the top Iranian diplomat added.
Amirabdollahian also took aim at the United States’ role in Israel’s massacres in Gaza, saying that despite advising others to exercise self-restraint, the US government is “actually a party to the war” and is not in a position to invite others to do so, as per Iran’s MOFA statement.
On Friday, the UN General Assembly adopted a non-binding Arab resolution for a humanitarian truce in Gaza following an overwhelming majority vote of 120 members, including Qatar.
Israel and its main ally, the US, which has blocked at least three other proposals that called for a humanitarian ceasefire amid the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, rejected the proposal, again.
The Pentagon also continues to provide weapons shipments almost on a daily basis to Israel, Pentagon deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters. “We are not putting any limits on how Israel uses weapons,” Singh said.
“That is really up to the Israeli Defense Force to use and how they are going to conduct their operations.”
In his meeting with Haniyeh on Tuesday, Amirabdollahian also touched on the global support for Palestine, including votes in the recent session of the United Nations General Assembly and widespread anti-Israel demonstrations worldwide.
Haniyeh also condemned the crimes committed by Israel and underlined the Battle of Al-Aqsa as a symbol of Palestine’s honour and the Islamic Ummah, according to Iran’s MOFA statement.
Haniyeh said the Palestinian resistance movement “follows up on the valuable efforts” of Iran, the president and the foreign minister of Iran at the regional and international levels, and the United Nations to support the Palestinian nation.
He also raised concerns about Washington’s actions in the region, saying that sending ships and troops was enabling Israel to continue their massacres in Gaza.
“The amount of explosives used against the citizens and residential areas of Gaza is greater than the amount of the American atomic bomb in Hiroshima, and these attacks are being carried out with the full support of the United States and some European countries,” Haniyeh said, as quoted by the statement.
Israel launched a brutal bombing campaign on Gaza more than three weeks ago and has since killed at least 8,525 Palestinians, including 3,457 children who represent more than 40% of the toll.
