TEHRAN – A number of senior Iranian military officials have expressed support of the Palestinian resistance groups amid the ongoing de-escalation mediation efforts by Egypt to beef up a recent ceasefire between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

The officials, mostly affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), underlined that a new era has begun in Palestine in the wake of the 11-day war Israel waged on Gaza in May.

IRGC chief General Hossein Salami said the Palestinians emerged stronger from the war and they will get stronger by the day.

“A new Palestine has emerged, and the recent war imposed a strong Palestine on the calculations of the Zionist entity [Israel] from now on. The Palestinians will become stronger day by day, and the Israelis must realize that they cannot live in the midst of an enemy that has become so powerful,” General Salami told Russian state broadcaster RT. 

He also said that “the Israelis should know that the era of attacks without a response has passed and that the Palestinians have become strong.”

Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh highlighted Israel’s failure in the war on Gaza. 

“The Zionist entity has been defeated by the rockets and shells of the Palestinian people that they had made from the sewage pipes,” Hajizadeh told Yemeni news channel Al-Masirah.

He added that the Zionist entity must pack its bags and start looking for another area to live in, in America, Alaska or Europe, for example. Hajizadeh pointed out that the Zionist entity is fragile and the threats of the Mossad and the option of war against Iran are just nonsense, especially after their inability to face the Palestinian resistance.

The warning came after recent statements by some Israeli officials, including Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen, who recently told Al-Arabiya that Tel Aviv would not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.

Contrary to the remarks by Cohen, Iran is a signatory to the NPT and its nuclear program is being monitored by the IAEA.

Spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi also issued a warning to the Israeli regime in an interview with Al-Masirah. He said Israel is ratcheting up war rhetoric against Iran out of desperation. 

“The Zionist Mossad says its priority is Iran and the Zionist regime poses threats because it knows it is declining and weakening after successive defeats,” he said, adding, “The threats of the enemy and Mossad against Iran are of no value in reality because the enemy is now in pain and it is time to accept its collapse.”

The IRGC Quds Force Commander, General Esmail Qaani, also issued a stark warning to Israel, underlining that Israel should think of an imminent delivery of rule over the Occupied Lands to the Palestinians.

“I advise the Zionists to return to their houses that they have sold in Europe and America before these houses become more expensive,” Qaani said, according to Fars News.

“Many of the infrastructural facilities were within the reach of Palestinian missiles and could be targeted… but, they [Resistance groups] refused to target them because it will not take long for Palestinians to use these facilities,” the Quds force chief predicted. 

According to Qaani, during the first three days of the Gaza war, the number of the missiles fired by the Resistance Front at the Occupied Territories was as much as the entire 22-day war which indicates the power of Resistance.

“We all witnessed how Gaza bravely defended all Palestinian lands, despite being under sanctions for 15 years,” the general said, adding, “The Palestinian Resistance acted in such a way that from the first day, the Zionist regime begged its friendly countries to call on the Palestinians to stop the war.”

“The era when the Zionist regime wanted to kill the Palestinians with weapons, bullets and guns has gone. Today, more than 3,000 missiles fired at the occupied territories were produced by the Palestinians themselves,” Qaani underlined. 

From now on, the message of the Palestinian Resistance and the international resistance is that the Palestinians must make the necessary plans to govern the entire Palestinian land, including the land of 1948, the land of 1967 and the land of Gaza, and from now on Palestinians should prepare for ruling the entire Palestine, Qaani stated.

Nearly three weeks ago, Israel started an air raid campaign against the Gaza Strip that resulted in the death of hundreds of civilians. Facing mounting international pressure, Israel found itself obliged to put an end to its atrocities against the civilians in Gaza after 11 days of continued bombardment. 

Michelle Bachelet, the UN rights chief, has said Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during the 11-day war. “Air strikes in such densely populated areas resulted in a high level of civilian fatalities and injuries, as well as the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure,” Bachelet said. 
She adding, “Such attacks may constitute war crimes.”

With overwhelming support from its members, the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution calling for an independent inquiry into Israel’s crimes in Gaza, a move that was met with criticism from Israel.

During the war, Iran strongly supported the Palestinians and condemned Israeli crimes. After the war, Palestinian Resistance groups appreciated Iran for its support. 

On Monday, five Palestinian resistance groups and movements sent letters and messages to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, thanking him for his firm stance on supporting the cause of Palestine.