Iran welcomes Gaza ceasefire, urges prosecution of Israeli authorities for genocide

Iran has welcomed a newly-reached ceasefire in the Israeli regime’s 15-month-long genocidal war against the besieged Gaza Strip, while calling for the prosecution of Israeli authorities over their appalling crimes in the besieged territory.

In a statement on Thursday, Iran’s foreign ministry said the people of the war-ravaged Palestinian territory have suffered “one of the greatest acts of genocide and population displacement in history” since October 2023, when Israel’s war machine began unleashing fire and destruction on the territory.

The ceasefire is also the result of "solidarity and unity of the people of Gaza in their honorable resistance and steadfastness against the forced displacement of Palestinians," the statement read, hailing the truce "as a historic victory for the Palestinian nation."

The Israeli regime has killed more than 46,700 people, including thousands of children, in Gaza since the onset of the brutal war, according to the figures released by the Gaza Health Ministry on Wednesday.

“Over the past 15 months, the occupying and genocidal Israeli regime has systematically and extensively violated the fundamental principles and norms of international law, human rights, and humanitarian law, committing the most severe war crimes and crimes against humanity. It pursued its ‘colonial eradication’ plan against the Palestinian nation—an agenda that began eight decades ago through the support and silence of colonial powers—with unprecedented brutality,” Iran’s foreign ministry further said, stressing that the Tel Aviv regime crossed all legal and moral red lines and set a new level of barbarism in history.

It added that over the past 15 months, there has been a perpetrating recurring pattern of atrocities, including the indiscriminate killing of civilians, especially women and children, the demolition of homes and critical infrastructure, the destruction of hospitals and schools, assaults on refugee camps and shelters, and the deliberate targeting of journalists, medical personnel, and nurses. These acts were carried out with the dual objective of obliterating Palestine and crushing the spirit of resistance.

'Gaza has won': Social media users react to ceasefire with mix of relief, joy

Social media users have reacted with a mix of relief and joy to news of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip.

“During this 15-month period, what emboldened the Zionist regime in advancing its genocidal plans against Palestinians was the full and direct military, financial, and political support provided by the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and several other Western countries. These nations not only ensured the impunity of the leaders of this regime but also blocked any effective action by the United Nations to stop the crimes of the occupying regime.

“They further disrupted international efforts, including those of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, to hold the perpetrators accountable and punish them. Undoubtedly, these countries, as accomplices in the crimes committed by the Zionist regime, must be held accountable,” the statement stressed.

Iran’s foreign ministry also expressed hope that this new development, with the support of the global community and responsible international actors, would lead to a complete end to the genocide in Gaza, the withdrawal of occupiers, swift humanitarian aid, the rebuilding of the region, and relief for the resilient people of Gaza.

"Alongside stopping the genocide in Gaza, the international community must also pay careful and heightened attention to the blatant violations of international law, humanitarian law, and human rights in the occupied West Bank and the continuous attacks by the occupying regime against al-Aqsa Mosque. Serious and effective action must be taken to counter the aggression of the Zionist regime across all of occupied Palestine and to pave the way for the arrest, prosecution, and punishment of the criminal leaders of the Israeli regime for committing the most severe international crimes as defined by the International Criminal Court,” it emphasized.

Hamas: Ceasefire agreement result of steadfastness, resistance in Gaza over 15 months

Hamas hails announcement of a ceasefire in the Israeli regime’s genocidal war against the Gaza Strip.

The phased ceasefire agreement mandates the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip to pre-war borders, the reopening of the Rafah crossing, and the facilitation of medical travel abroad. It also requires the daily entry of 600 aid trucks, the delivery of 200,000 tents and 60,000 caravans, and a large-scale prisoner exchange involving 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including all women and children under 19.

Furthermore, Israeli forces must also withdraw from the Netzarim corridor and the Philadelphi Route, ensure displaced residents can return home with freedom of movement, and vacate Gaza's airspace for 8–10 hours daily. Additionally, hospitals in Gaza must be rehabilitated, with medical supplies, field hospitals, and surgical teams allowed entry.

The first six-week phase of the truce includes the release of 33 Israeli captives, both living and dead, and the return of displaced Palestinians from southern to northern Gaza, facilitated by Israeli troop withdrawal from al-Rashid Street to the Netzarim corridor. Subsequent phases will address the release of the remaining 66 Israeli captives, potentially concluding over a year of negotiations and marking the largest release of Israeli captives since the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement exchanged half its captives for 240 Palestinian detainees early in the war.

'None of Netanyahu's promises fulfilled in Gaza war'

Meanwhile, Iranian Ambassador to Beirut Mojtaba Amani said in a post on X that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s regime failed to achieve any of its declared goals in the war on Gaza.

"After 15 months of crimes in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank, the Zionist regime was forced to sign an agreement that it rejected from the beginning,” Amani said.

“None of Netanyahu's promises was fulfilled. The organizational structure and combat power of Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad still exist. The Zionists know that their killings and crimes during this period constitute a great incentive to continue the resistance against this regime."

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir