Iranian people join students to slam Israel’s vicious onslaught against Gazans

A group of students, joined by other people, have taken to the streets of the Iranian capital to condemn the Israeli regime’s vicious onslaught against Gaza and voice their solidarity with the Palestinian people.

The demonstrators gathered on Thursday in front of the University of Tehran, where they shouted anti-Israel slogans and marched toward Felestin (Palestine) Square.

They waved Palestinian flags and shouted “Israeli Crime, American Support”, “Down with Israel,” and “Down with the US” on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

Speaking at the event, Hamas representative to Iran Khaled Qaddoumi said he wanted to offer the victory of the Palestinian people in al-Quds to the Iranian people, whom he lauded as supporters of the oppressed people of Palestine.

“Today, resistance, al-Quds and Palestine are victorious. Today, Palestinian children and youth sent a message to people of the world saying resistance can target the Zionist regime with its rockets,” he stated.

Echoing remarks by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Qaddoumi asserted that Israel must be annihilated, and that “certainly, your support for us in Palestine means a lot, and we will trek together on the path of destroying the Zionist regime.”

A statement issued by the students was read out at the end of the Thursday march, commemorating the prominent martyrs of the Resistance Front, including Imad and Jihad Mughniyah, Fathi Shaqaqi, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Qassem Soleimani.

“We, the revolutionary students and people of Iran […] declare loudly that we will stand by the holy cause of the Sacred Quds till the last drop of our blood, and we will not stop our fight in scientific, media, etc. fields until the destruction of the Zionist regime and the liberation of Palestine from this demonic regime,” the statement read.

Palestinians perform Eid al-Fitr prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque

Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians gathered on Thursday morning in the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem al-Quds to perform Eid al-Fitr prayers.

The worshipers, estimated to be nearly 100,000, chanted “Oh God, give victory to Gaza” while waving Palestinian flags and banners, in defiance of repeated acts of barbarity by Israeli forces at the site since the beginning of Ramadan.

The prayers took place as Israel continued its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday and Wednesday, drawing a barrage of rockets from resistance groups in Gaza.

The Palestinian health ministry has said the death toll from Israel’s raids on Gaza has risen to 83, including 17 children and 7 women. On Wednesday, Qaddoumi told Press TV that some 95 percent of the victims were civilians.

487 people have also been injured in over three days of attacks on the besieged enclave.

Israel said around 1,600 rockets have been fired toward the occupied territories by resistance groups in Gaza since Monday evening.

Israel rejects ‘moral preaching’ over killing civilians

Israeli minister for military affairs Benny Gantz said that the regime will not cease its onslaught against Gaza until “complete quiet” has been achieved, rejecting international calls for restraint to prevent further civilian deaths.

“Israel is not preparing for a ceasefire. There is currently no end date for the operation. Only when we achieve complete quiet can we talk about calm,” Gantz said amid reports of Egyptian mediation to end the asymmetrical conflict.

He also dismissed worldwide condemnations of the regime’s killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza as “moral preaching,” saying “We will not listen to moral preaching against our duty to protect the citizens of Israel.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cheered attacks that killed senior Hamas commanders in addition to many more civilians as “just the beginning” of the regime’s aggression on Gaza.

“We will inflict blows on them that they couldn’t even dream of,” Netanyahu said, adding that the Israeli military would use “increasing force.”

Jonathan Conricus, a spokesperson for the Israeli army, also admitted that Israel is not considering an end to its atrocities, saying he expected the fighting to intensify.

“I don’t think my commanders are aware, or particularly interested,” Conricus said when asked about a possible ceasefire.

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