Iran Slams Israeli Ground Invasion of Gaza
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman on Friday roundly condemned the latest Israeli ground offensive on the Gaza Strip.
“The ground invasion of Gaza, which indicates the Zionist regime’s helplessness in the face of Palestinian people’s heroic resistance, added another page to the Zionists’ crimes and inhumane acts,” Marziyeh Afkham stated.
She described the attack as being comparable to "a war crime" given Gaza’s lack of access to basic human, health and medical needs due to the Israeli blockade of the coastal strip.
Afkham added that the invasion took place "in the absence of the international bodies’ resolve to fulfill their serious responsibility of protecting the people of Palestine."
She emphasized that the measures taken by Palestinian resistance groups are within the framework of legitimate defense against the Zionist regime’s all-out offensive.
The Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman further called for practical measures by the world community to put an end to the killing of defenseless women and children in Gaza, adding that the world public opinion expects international and regional institutions, independent countries and human rights advocates to immediately employ their means and mechanisms in support of the besieged people of Gaza.
Thousands of Israeli soldiers backed by tanks invaded the Gaza Strip on Thursday. The first major Israeli ground offensive in Gaza in just over five years was announced despite a blunt warning to Israel against invading the Gaza Strip by the leaders of Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
Palestinian health officials reported that the total death toll from the Israeli attacks topped 260, with some 1,800 injured.
The Zionist regime began its latest onslaught against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on July 8.