Veteran Iranian journalist demands Tehran send aid ships to Gaza

Hossein Shariatmadari, in an article published on Thursday, said, “The Islamic Republic can and should send shipments of food, medicine and other necessities of the people of Gaza to the enclave by the sea.”

However, he added, “Undoubtedly, the United States and its Western allies as well as the Zionist regime will oppose the move and it is not unlikely that they will attack the ships carrying the supplies.”

The Iranian journalist stressed that Iran has to send supplies despite the threats, arguing, “Firstly, it will set a lasting precedent for Muslim states, secondly, the Western states that ostentatiously talk about the need to provide aid to the people of Gaza will be more disgraced and, thirdly, international authorities can verify that the cargoes are not weapons.”

The comment comes as Palestinians say the aid sent to the war-hit territory is an inadequate response to the needs of its 2.4 million people.

Since the start of the carnage on October 7 last year, the Israeli regime has killed at least 31,000 Palestinians and injured more than 72,000 others, besides cutting off aid supply lines to the blockaded territory.