Iran urges permanent ceasefire to stop Israeli ‘crimes’ in Gaza

TEHRAN:

Iran on Monday called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza to stop Israel’s “crimes” in the territory, as a truce between Israel and Hamas entered its final day.

As the four-day truce nears its scheduled end early Tuesday, Hamas has said it is willing to extend the pause and release more hostages.

The ceasefire that began on Friday freed dozens of hostages, with more than 100 Palestinian prisoners being released by Israel in return.

“As the Islamic Republic of Iran, we want and expect … that the crimes of the Zionist regime against the Palestinian people will be completely stopped,” said Nasser Kanani, a spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry.

Kanani told reporters during the weekly press conference that Iran is “following” the extension of the truce “with the regional party that is active in this area, the State of Qatar.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian paid a visit to Qatar’s capital Doha on Thursday.

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“One of the main goals of the ongoing negotiations and efforts is to ensure that the existing temporary truce takes a stable form and that the heavy-handed attack of the Zionist regime (Israel) against Gaza is not repeated,” he added.

But “it seems that the Zionist regime, after not being able to achieve its goals” after the Gaza attack, “wants to achieve a tangible victory,” he added, suggesting that Israel continue its assault on Gaza.

Iran, which has characterized Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as genocide, has denied any direct involvement in Hamas’ attack on Israel.

The Palestinian group spilled across the border on October 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.

In response, Israel launched a military campaign to destroy Hamas, killing nearly 15,000 people, mostly civilians and including thousands of children, according to Gaza’s Hamas government.