Iran Censures “Savage” Israeli Strike on Shejaiya

Marziyeh Afkham condemned what she called crimes against humanity and the war crimes committed by the Zionist regime of Israel, especially the brutal onslaught against women, children and the elderly in the Shejaiya neighborhood of the Gaza Strip.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s government and nation will, like the past, stand with the victorious Palestinian nation and its brave resistance, and will not remain silent on the brutal crimes by the Zionists,” she said.

Israel has launched a ground military operation in the Gaza Strip since Thursday after 10 days of bombardment of the enclave from the air and sea.

More than 400 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 2,700 have been wounded in the 13-day Israeli assault on the densely-populated enclave of 1.8 million Palestinians.

Palestinian medics and witnesses said heavy Israeli shelling in Shejaiya district has killed dozens of people, including children.

Elsewhere in her comments, Afkham reminded the concerned international and regional organizations to condemn Israel’s offensive against Palestinians and to take action for an immediate end to the attacks.

The spokeswoman further predicted that “the world’s Muslim and freedom-seeking nations” will demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian people by staging mass rallies on this year’s International Quds Day.

The International Quds Day is an annual event during which demonstrators express their solidarity with the Palestinian people and opposition to the occupation of the Palestinian territories by the Zionist regime of Israel.

The day is also seen as the legacy of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini, who officially declared the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan as International Quds Day back in 1979.