Iran FM says Israel committing genocide in Gaza, Palestinian response ‘legitimate’

Iran’s foreign minister says the Israeli regime is committing genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip and the recent retaliatory operation by the Palestinian resistance groups against the occupying entity was a legitimate response under international law.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a meeting with his Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi, on the sidelines of a plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday.

Pointing to a Brazil-drafted resolution addressing Israeli crimes in Gaza and the need to stop the regime’s aggression, Amir-Abdollahian said, “Such resolutions should include three basic elements; an immediate ceasefire, the need for continuous access to and delivery of humanitarian aid to the oppressed Palestinian people, and confronting forced migration.”

The top Iranian diplomat censured Israel’s crimes against Palestinians and said, “The Zionist regime is committing genocide in Palestine. If the genocide in Gaza continues, the warmongers themselves will not be spared from this fire.”

The recent action by the Palestinian people and Hamas resistance movement against the occupiers was "completely legitimate based on the applicable rules of international law," and was an "inherent right" of Palestinians, Amir-Abdollahian said. 

Marsudi, for her part, described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as "miserable" and underlined the need to work together to stop the killing of the defenseless people of Gaza, the need to continue sending humanitarian aid to the besieged area and to stop the forced migration of Gaza residents.

The Indonesian foreign minister also termed the state of a hospital donated by her country in Gaza as “very worrying” due to the lack of medicine and medical facilities.

Iran FM: US won’t be spared from fire if Israel keeps up Gaza genocide

Amir-Abdollahian was delivering a speech at a special meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

The 193-member UN General Assembly will vote on Friday on a draft resolution put forward by Arab states and others calling for an immediate ceasefire.

On October 7, Hamas-led Palestinian resistance groups launched their biggest operation against Israel in years in a surprise offensive, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, in response to the occupying regime’s intensified crimes against the Palestinian people.

Since then, Israel has pressed ahead with a relentless bombardment of Gaza. The death toll in Gaza since the start of Israeli aggression has reached over 7,000 with more than 18,000 wounded.

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

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