Iran says Gaza could turn into ‘graveyard’ for Israeli forces

“If the measures aimed at immediately stopping the Israeli attacks that are killing children in the Gaza Strip end in a deadlock, it is highly probable that many other fronts will be opened,” Hossein Amirabdollahian told Al Jazeera on Sunday, reiterating a warning Iran had voiced repeatedly over the past week.

“If the Zionist entity [Israel] decides to enter Gaza, the resistance leaders will turn it into a graveyard of the occupation soldiers,” he added, referring to Hamas.

On his diplomatic tour of the region, the Iranian minister met with a political leader of Hamas, Ismail Hanieyh, in Qatar, where he rallied other Islamic countries to support Palestine, and assured that Iran will continue its efforts to stop the “war crimes committed by the Zionists.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will never back down on its principles and values in support of the Palestinian nation,” he stressed.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi initiated phone calls with multiple Muslim leaders on Sunday, raising the alarm about the situation in Gaza and calling for “decisive and immediate” action by the Arab League and other international bodies to stop the Israeli “killing machine.”

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has also addressed Muslim countries, urging them to come to the aid of Palestinians. “With God’s grace, this movement that has started in Palestine will advance and result in a complete victory for the Palestinians,” he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.