TEHRAN – Several Iranian writers have condemned the recent killing of defenseless people, especially children in Gaza, in a statement released on Wednesday.

Parts of the statement reads as follows:

"We are writers!

Our hearts, like many people around the world, are full of pain and restlessness when we see the suffering of Palestinian children. Perhaps we do not have a gun to defend frightened Palestinian children, nor do we have a scalpel to treat the wounded children. However, we have arms to embrace a trembling child and tell them the story of a trembling sparrow left alone in a storm. Let us also end the story by saying that the day after the storm, when the sun shines on the plains and hills, the sparrow flies with joy and security.

We can hold the hand of a lost child wandering in search of their mother and tell them the story of a little bunny that has lost its mother. Even if we knew that the child's mother was martyred, we can tell them that the little bunny found its father and was comforted in his arms.

Our stories are both sweet and soothing. Even the negative characters in our stories have a framework. They do not kill children, nor do they bomb hospitals.

Perhaps we can't give Palestinian children a safe home in the real world, but at least we can create an imaginary world for them where there is no blood or death. 

Let us go to Palestine and at least protect the imagination of innocent children with our ability. Let us hold them in our arms and not let their imagination be buried under the rubble of the oppressive Israeli regime. Let us go to Palestine so that Palestinian children can go to sleep with the stories that have happy endings and their sleep is not as scary and dark as their waking hours.”

The statement has been signed by numerous writers so far, including Mohammadreza Sarshar, Hossein Kachuyan, Majid Safataj, Maryam Asadzadeh, Najmeh Javadi, Masoumeh Arabkhani, Zahra Akhlaghi, Zahra Zakeri-Nasab, Shirin Hamzeh, Marzieh Tarkashvand, Seyyed Marzieh Qazi-Marashi, Maryam Dadashi and Sohrab Bahrami. 

Photo: A little Palestinian girl holds doll amid rubble of damaged building in Gaza.

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