Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Tuesday condemned Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip’s southernmost city of Rafah, calling on international institutions to fight Israel’s “crimes”.
The ministry added that the United States also bore responsibility for them.
On Monday, Israel started a military operation in the eastern parts of Rafah and took control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
Palestinian movement Hamas said that it had agreed to the provisions of the ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar mediators but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the truce deal unacceptable.
“The regime’s move is aimed at failing international efforts to stop the war and end the genocide in Gaza and was only made to protect the interests of certain individuals and groups of the Zionist criminals,” Kanaani said.
The spokesman said Washington is responsible for the bloodshed in Gaza, especially in Rafah, as the U.S. supports Israel.
Iran labeled Israel as “the main threat to peace and security” in the wake of its operation in Rafah, adding that the Jewish state is “never committed to any international norms.”
Earlier in the day, Kanaani welcomed the agreement of the head of the political office of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, with the ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases.
Nearly 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted during the attack.
Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages.
Over 34,700 people have been killed so far by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, according to local authorities. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.
