Gaza ceasefire ‘biggest defeat’ for Israel: IRGC Quds Force chief

Brigadier General Esmail Qa’ani said on Sunday that the ceasefire, which came into force on the same day and brought an end to months-long Israeli aggression against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza strip, was the “biggest defeat” the Tel Aviv regime had experienced in its “miserable life” as it failed to achieve any of its goals.

“The bloodthirsty, child-killing butchers of the Zionist regime, after 15 months of unrestrained crimes they committed against the oppressed people of Palestine, Lebanon and the region, were forced to accept a ceasefire today at the pinnacle of humiliation; this ceasefire was imposed on the Zionist regime,” Qa’ani underscored.

The Quds Force chief underlined that the ceasefire deal was the same as what had been proposed in the previous round of negotiations, but Israel had rejected it.

“This ceasefire is nothing short of what was put forth in the previous round of negotiations, but the disgraceful Zionist regime disrupted it and gained nothing,” Qa’ani added.

“However, the same clauses that the Palestinian Islamic Resistance and our brothers had set, they were forced to accept in this round of talks, and today at 1 p.m., the humiliation of the Zionist regime and the biggest defeat it has gone through during its miserable life will be exposed by the grace of God.”

Israel launched its merciless aggression on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after Hamas-led resistance groups carried out a historic operation against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

However, the Tel Aviv regime failed to achieve any of its declared objectives, including the release of captives and the “elimination” of Hamas despite killing nearly 47,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

On Wednesday, Israel was forced to agree to a ceasefire agreement, accepting Hamas’ longstanding negotiation terms.

In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant “for crimes against humanity and war crimes.”

Last year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to take immediate steps to prevent “plausible genocide” in the besieged Gaza Strip, following a case brought by South Africa.