TEHRAN – Iran has called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting to adopt appropriate policies to support the Palestinians’ rights and condemn the atrocities of the Zionist regime, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini announced on Wednesday.

At least 18 Palestinians were killed and 40 wounded by Israeli tank fire in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun on Wednesday.

“These inhumane crimes, which are a reminder of the atrocities in Qana, Lebanon, show the depth of the brutality of the Zionist regime’s leaders and are strongly condemned by the world,” Hosseini said in a statement.

The fact that the leaders of the Zionist regime target women and children and the United States remains mum indicates that a conspiracy to massacre the indigenous Palestinians is underway, in violation of all international treaties and laws, he added.

The indifference toward the Israeli atrocities runs contrary to the United Nations Charter’s articles on genocide and crimes against humanity, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

Hosseini warned that the adoption of such discriminatory approaches will discredit the international body and trample the rights of member states underfoot.