Iran warns of ‘human catastrophe’ amid Israeli onslaught on Gaza, urges UN to take immediate action

Iran’s foreign minister has warned of a “human catastrophe” amid ongoing Israeli aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip, calling on the United Nations to adopt immediate measures to prevent the occupying regime from perpetrating further crimes and rights violations against Palestinians.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian raised the alarm in a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday as he pointed to the recent developments in Palestine and the Israeli regime’s decades-long aggression on Palestinians.

Amir-Abdollahian touched on the plight and suffering of the Palestinian people at the hands of the illegal entity over the past seven decades, blaming Western countries, led by the United States, for the dire situation in Palestine.

"During the past seven decades, the occupying Zionist regime without paying the slightest attention to the laws and norms of international law, including international humanitarian law and human rights, and while enjoying all-out support from the United States of America and the West, which protect this regime against any legal charges and punishment, has committed the most heinous war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of genocide against the oppressed people of Palestine," the top Iranian diplomat said in the letter.

Amir-Abdollahian pointed to Operation al-Aqsa Storm by the Palestinian resistance groups against Israel and described the Hamas-led military action as a natural reaction of the Palestinian people in defense of their most basic rights.

The Iranian foreign minister also underlined the Palestinians' right to self-defense against the occupying regime in accordance with the UN Charter and international law.

“The legitimate right to defense is an inherent right that is clearly recognized in the United Nations Charter and international law,” Amir-Abdollahian wrote. “The Palestinian nation, as a nation that has been unjustly deprived of the fundamental right to determine its own destiny and is exposed to attacks and violations of human rights and human dignity at any moment, unequivocally has the right to defend itself and resist occupation and aggression.”

Gaza health ministry: 830 Palestinians killed in Israeli bombardment in 72 hours

The Israeli regime has had a total blockade of Gaza in place since October 7.

In his letter to the UN chief, Amir-Abdollahian warned about the indiscriminate killing of Palestinians by the Zionist regime in the battle against the Gaza Strip and raised the alarm about the dangers of laying a full sedge around the coastal area by cutting water supply and humanitarian aid.

“With an overview of the inhumane actions and blatant threats of the Zionist officials in recent days... I deem it necessary to warn against the occurrence of a major human catastrophe in occupied Palestine and highlight the responsibility of the United Nations and the secretary general to support the oppressed people of Palestine and to prevent the aggressor regime from continuing the violence, bloodshed and destruction in Gaza,” he said.

Amir-Abdollahian noted that the only solution to the Palestinian issue is to end the Israeli occupation, recognize the right of the oppressed Palestinian people to determine their own destiny and the formation of an independent Palestinian state with al-Quds as its capital.

Israeli officials have ordered a total blockade of Gaza to compensate for heavy losses suffered during Operation Al-Aqsa Storm launched by the resistance movement Hamas on Saturday. The resistance group in the besieged Gaza Strip has fired over 5,000 rockets at the occupied territories. Israeli media outlets report that more than 1,000 settlers and troops have been killed and a lot more injured as a result.

Hamas said that its operation came in response to Israel’s violations at al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East al-Quds and growing settler violence.

Rights groups and international organization have criticized the Israeli regime for its indiscriminate bombing of Gaza and its siege on the territory which has left people without water, electricity and other basic supplies.

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