Rouhani: Iran, Turkey Can Coordinate Aid to Gaza
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday Tehran and Ankara can channel humanitarian assistance into war-torn Gaza under the aegis of the Egyptian government.
“If Cairo collaborates on the delivery of goods, Tehran and Ankara can do the planning to collect and dispatch the humanitarian aids provided by the region and the Islamic world for assisting the oppressed people of Gaza,” Rouhani said in a telephone conversation with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday.
The president also called for “prompt efforts and serious cooperation” by the Muslim nations to provide help for the people of Gaza, who have come under fierce military attacks by Israel over the past three weeks.
Rouhani further urged an immediate end to the Israeli offensive and to blockade of the besieged Gaza Strip.
Erdogan, for his part, emphasized the need for continued cooperation between his country and Iran in order to resolve the regional problems.
He also welcomed Iran’s initiative for holding a ministerial meeting of the Palestine Committee of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), slated for next week.
Meanwhile, Foreign ministers of the NAM’s Palestine Committee will gather in Tehran next week to discuss the Gaza crisis in an emergency one-day meeting.
In recent weeks, Iran has stepped up diplomatic efforts to drum up support for crisis-ridden Gaza.
On July 8, Israel launched air strikes on the Gaza Strip. After 10 days of bombardment of the enclave from the air and sea, the Israeli forces started a ground operation in the Gaza Strip.
The death toll from the three-week-old Israeli onslaught on Gaza has reached over 1,000 and nearly 6,000 have been wounded.
