Iran slams Israel, protests civilian deaths in Gaza

A senior military officer declared that Israel was losing the war of attrition and that thousands of Iranians were participating in state-sponsored marches on Saturday to express their outrage over the deaths of children and other civilians in the Gaza conflict.

Commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, declared, “Palestine stands on the path of a war of attrition…Israel will face a definitive defeat and end up in the dustbin of history,” during a rally in Tehran that was broadcast live on state television.

“The Islamic world will take whatever necessary action; the battle is far from over.” Salami stated, “There are still great (unused) capacities left,” omitting to mention any potential actions on Iran’s part to enter the battle.

During the statewide protests on Monday ahead of World Children’s Day, state media featured some demonstrators holding wrapped white shrouds, symbolising the children killed in Gaza.

Since the devastating attack on October 7 by Hamas terrorists backed by Iran, who broke through the border from Gaza into Israel and took approximately 240 prisoners, including children, tensions in the region have risen, according to Israeli estimates. The attack claimed the lives of about 1,200 people.

Following Israeli attacks in Gaza, health officials there said that more than 12,000 people had died, 5,000 of them children. The figures are considered reliable by the UN, however the challenges of data collection have made updates few.

The world community is being urged by Iran’s Foreign Ministry to assist in halting the Zionist regime’s “killing machine and organised terrorism against the Palestinian people and hold Zionist criminals accountable to justice and international law”.

(With agency inputs)