TEHRAN — Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi has described the Gaza Strip as the biggest prison in the whole world.

“The Zionists have established the greatest prion in the world… (and) the oppressed Muslim people of Gaza are in living in a bad condition, and what makes us more worried than ever is the threat of their lives by the outbreak of the wicked coronavirus,” Raisi said in a telephone conversation with Ismail Haniyeh, the chief of the Hamas political bureau.

“No Muslim or liberal-minded person can tolerate that Palestine is surrounded by occupiers,” said Raisi.

“The siege of Gaza shows that the political interest of the oppressive system has priority over human right.”
 
The top judge added, “Today, some 5,800 Palestinians, including more than 200 women and children are imprisoned by the Zionists.” 

Pointing to the dearth of medical facilities in Palestine under the restrictions imposed by Zionists, Raisi described the Israeli regime’s behavior as “crime against humanity”.

“The siege of Gaza shows that the political interest of the oppressive system has priority over human rights,” Iran’s top judge says. He also criticized the silence of international bodies and organizations toward Palestine’s situation and the cruelty of the Israeli regime, in particular under the conditions that the deadly coronavirus is a big threat to the lives of Palestinians.

He, elsewhere, addressed the assassination of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani by the direct order of U.S. President Donald Trump, saying assassination of the leaders of the Resistance Axis will only lead to further strengthening of the Resistance.

On January 3, Trump ordered airstrikes that martyred General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), in Baghdad’s international airport.

In the early hours of January 8, the IRGC fired dozens of ballistic missiles at a military airbase hosting U.S. forces in Iraq as part of its promised “tough revenge” for the U.S. terrorist attack.

Soleimani was recognized internationally as a legendary commander in the war against terrorist groups, especially Daesh (ISIS).

For his part, Haniyeh pointed to the remarks made by Raisi, saying, “Your special attention to the issue shows the extent of your knowledge about the issue of Palestine.” 

In late March, Haniyeh had expressed sympathy and solidarity with the Iranian nation in the battle with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. 

He also denounced the U.S. cruel sanctions against the Iranian nation and stressed the need for the removal of illegal sanctions.

Iran is among the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus. The outbreak has infected more than 68,000 people and killed over 4,200 in Iran.

On April 6, Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the United States to ease economic sanctions on Iran and expand the licensing of sanctions-exempt items to ensure the country has access to essential humanitarian resources during the pandemic.

President Hassan Rouhani on Monday called for an internationally coordinated fight against the new coronavirus.

“The U.S. administration has not only violated international regulations by imposing illegal sanctions on Iran but is also breaching health regulations ratified by the World Health Organization in 2005 through its measures under the current circumstances,” Rouhani stated.

MH/PA