TEHRAN- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has slammed the Israeli regime’s attack on Gaza as a huge threat to human civilization and asked for immediate action by the international community to halt the slaughter of Palestinians.

He made the remarks in a message to the Pope on Christmas Eve.

Raisi emphasized the necessity for international organizations to take a strong action in support of Gaza in his Sunday message to Pope Francis. 

What follows is the text of the message released by his official website:

With great pleasure, I sincerely congratulate you and all the believers of the world on the arrival of the auspicious birthday of Jesus (peace be upon him), Son of Mary, and the beginning of the new year 2024.

Jesus Christ, the prophet of peace and friendship, and his religion are full of compassion, patience and standing against oppression and helping the deprived and oppressed. Thinking and reflecting on the noble qualities of Jesus, son of Mary, and examining and applying the way of life of that Prophet and all the divine prophets can open the way for today's human being to perfection.

As you know, today, many challenges are facing human societies, the most important of which is the aggression of the Zionist regime of Israel on the Gaza Strip. Unfortunately, due to the lack of decisive action by international organizations and assemblies on the one hand and the support of the American government and some European countries to this regime on the other hand, we witnessed the death of more than 17 thousand oppressed people, especially Palestinian women and children, by the usurping Israeli regime in Gaza.

I hope that while approaching the new year, we will witness the immediate action of the international community and all honest people in order to stop the killing of the innocent people of Gaza, and we will be able to rely on the loving religion of the divine prophets, especially Jesus Christ, to overcome many human challenges and take effective steps in the path of growth and elevation of our nations.

I ask Almighty God for his health and success, the prosperity and well-being of the followers of Jesus Christ, and peace throughout the world.