Iran calls on Muslim nations to cut ties with Israel over Gaza carnage

During a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the 16th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Uzbekistan on Thursday, Raisi noted that the Palestinian issue and Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip is the major concern for the Muslim world, stressing the importance of exerting pressure on the occupying regime to stop its aggression.

The Iranian president urged the Muslim nations to cut diplomatic and economic ties with Tel Aviv, describing such action as “an effective and deterrent measure to stop Israel’s crimes against the oppressed people of Palestine.”

He also slammed “the deadly silence” of international organizations and self-proclaimed advocates of human rights on Israeli atrocities in Gaza.

“Now, Muslim nations, including Iran, Turkey, and Egypt are facing a divine test to confront this unprecedented crime through their timely actions.”

He also warned that the conflict would expand in the region, if the emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Saudi Arabia failed to help and save Palestinians, as “the region’s nations will realize that their governments are unable to help the Palestinian people.”

Raisi also expressed his concern over the slow flow of aid into Gaza and complained that humanitarian aid shipments from Iran and several other Muslim countries are stopped at Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza.

For his part, Erdogan also condemned the Israeli atrocities in Gaza and vowed to help the Palestinian nation and exert pressure on the Israeli regime.

Upon his arrival at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran on Thursday, Raisi told reporters that the suffering of the people of Gaza cast its shadow on the 16th ECO summit.

He added that the summit issued a final statement upon Iran’s initiative, backed by other member countries.

According to his remarks, the statement called for an end to Israel’s strikes on Gaza and the 16-year-old blockade of the strip and for allowing unimpeded passage of humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza.

Raisi hailed the stance adopted by Erdogan during the ECO summit, but stressed that “those stances are not enough and they must be turned into actions.”

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

Tel Aviv has also blocked water, food, and electricity to Gaza, plunging the coastal strip into a humanitarian crisis.

The regime has further ordered 1.1 million people in the north of Gaza to evacuate and move south of the coastal sliver. However, it has continued to rain down bombs on the south.

According to the Gaza-based health ministry, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed and injured in the strikes, most of them women and children.