TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has praised the Palestinian response to Israel, calling it a “major victory.”

“ The unity of the Palestinian nation and Gaza’s decisive response to the Zionists was a major victory,” Rouhani said, according to state news IRNA.

The president made the remarks on Saturday during a meeting of the national task force to combat Covid-19.

Rouhani said during the last round of fighting between the Palestinian people and the occupying regime of Israel, all Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and the occupied lands of 1948 as well as the Palestinians living in refugee camps abroad were unified. 

The president also praised the people of the world who showed support for Palestine by staging demonstrations around the world. 

“All nations did well. People took to the streets in Europe and the United States, but some Western countries took the wrong positions, most of the Islamic countries had good positions, although more was expected from the Arab world, some of them were silent until the last days,” Rouhani pointed out. 

He added, “The resistance of a nation brings victory; for example, the nation of Palestine won against a regime that is armed to the teeth and is supported by all. We congratulate the resilient, patient and struggling nation of Palestine on this victory.” 

The remarks came amid celebrations in Palestine and elsewhere in the world on the ceasefire that Israel unilaterally announced late on Thursday night after failing to defeat the Palestinian resistance.

Nearly two weeks ago, Israel began an air raid campaign against the Gaza Strip after the Palestinians there protested against Israel’s atrocities in the West Bank, where Israeli authorities imposed new bans and doubled down on their crackdown against the Palestinians.

The whole episode began when Israel moved ahead with its inhumane and racist decision to evict a number of Palestinian families from their ancestral homes in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and replace them with extremist Jews, a move that caused an international outcry and eventually provoked Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to strike back at Israel.

During the war on Gaza, Israel targeted civilians and killed at least 60 children, something that fits well into Israel’s global reputation as the killer of children. 

The international community, including Iran, called on Israel to stop its atrocities.

Iran hailed the Palestinian resistance as a victory over Israel. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the special aide to the speaker of the Iranian Parliament on international affairs, has praised the Palestinian resistance against the Israeli regime, saying the resistance has achieved a “tremendous victory” in the face of Israel.

In a tweet on Friday, the diplomat said Israel’s security has been destroyed and that al-Quds remains the eternal capital of Palestine.

“Palestinian Resistance & people made a tremendous victory. Palestine's unity has been demonstrated in Gaza, al-Quds, West Bank, & occupied territories. So-called Israel's security was shattered & fully destroyed. Quds remains Palestine's perpetual capital,” Amir-Abdollahian said on Twitter.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, also issued a message late on Friday congratulating the Palestinian people on their victory in the 12-day war against the Zionist regime.

“My greetings to the powerful, oppressed Palestine. Greetings to the brave, zealous Palestinian youth. Greetings to the heroic, resistant Gaza. Greetings to Hamas, Islamic Jihad and all Jihadi and political groups in Palestine. I thank God, the Almighty and Omnipotent, for granting His assistance and for the honor He has bestowed on the Palestinian fighters. I ask God, the Beneficent, to bestow tranquility and peace of mind on the injured hearts of the bereaved, to shower His mercy and glad tidings on the martyrs and to completely heal the wounded. I also extend my congratulations on this victory against the criminal Zionist regime,” the Leader said in the message.