TEHRAN – Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian discussed in a phone call on Friday the latest developments in Gaza and the West Bank with Ismail Haniyeh, the chief of the political bureau of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas. 

The two have had extensive communication during the past few weeks while Israel is continuing its relentless heavy bombardments of the besieged Gaza Strip. The regime has also been targeting Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. 

Amir Abdollahian and Haniyeh have met twice since October 7. Their last meeting came on Tuesday, when Iran’s senior diplomat held talks with the Hamas leader in Doha, Qatar. 

During the meeting, Haniyeh underlined that the Israeli regime has resorted to the massacre of civilians, as it knows that it stands no chance against the fighters of resistance forces. 

Amir Abdollahian, for his part, stressed the independence of resistance groups in West Asia and said they do not necessarily need to wait for a political decision. 

“Therefore, if the war crimes of the Zionist regime continue and the scope of conflict and war widens, no party will remain unaffected by the consequences and repercussions,” he added.

So far, the Israeli regime has killed more than 9000 Palestinians, with more than 91% of the casualties being civilians. At least half of the dead are children. 

Western governments, especially the U.S., have been preventing any ceasefire from taking effect, saying they don’t want to give Hamas the chance to regroup its troops. That’s while more than 2.3 million Palestinians have been put under a “complete siege” by Israel and do not have access to water, food, fuel, and medicine. 

The regime argues that its deliberate targeting of civilian areas including hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, and refugee camps is inevitable. 

MHA/PA