A bereaved and infuriated Israel has massed forces outside Gaza of what the army has said will be a land, air and sea attack involving a "significant ground operation".
Alarm has grown about a wider humanitarian crisis in Gaza where Israel has cut off water, food and power, vowing to maintain the complete siege.
Fear and chaos reigned in the 40-kilometre long strip that is one of the world's most densely populated areas, with no place for large numbers of internally displaced people to flee to.
Dr Iraj Ilahi, Iranian Ambassador to India, told NDTV in an exclusive interview that his country "proudly" supports the Palestine cause.
Here is the full transcript of the interview:
1) What is Iran's position in the Israel-Gaza war?
"Palestinian have been under the worst kind of occupation since more than 7 decades ago and during this time they have defended their right to existence by sacrificing their life. Therefore, without any doubt, we proudly support the Palestinian cause, and we firmly believe that acknowledging the perspectives and demands of Palestinians must be the first step toward a stable and sustainable solution for the dispute. The apartheid regime must end its racial discrimination, Islamophobia, and illegitimate occupation in order to move forward in the right direction."
2) Tehran has been a long-term backer of Hamas, Iranian officials have been adamant that the country had no involvement in the terror attack but the coordinated land sea air strike is raising questions whether Hamas had some backings...
"First of all we do not interpret the resistance act of Hamas as terrorism. Hamas is a Resistance organization as well. So it is important to use the right discourse in this case.
Secondly, the independent capability of Hamas is an undeniable reality that mainstream media attempts to ignore. It is true that Iran always supports the axis of resistance, but this fact must not mislead us into underestimating the decisive power and agency of other actors.
Let me clarify something: the Zionist regime propagates these false allegations to hide three facts.
Firstly, they try to attribute it to external factors to conceal the main cause of the conflict, which is ceaseless and ruthless crimes against Palestinians. Zionist extremism is the main source of violence and instability, not only in the occupied lands but also across the region, and they may expand the conflict into their neighborhood due to their inhumane ideology and a wrong assessment of the realities.
Secondly, Israel attempts to deny the significant strength of Hamas, which independently stands against apartheid and occupation.
Thirdly, the Zionist regime attempts to hide its inherent weakness. Almost nobody expected the simple passage of Hamas through surrounding Gaza fences under the intensive security measures. This proves that strategists and analysts must review and revise their beliefs in the credible and reliable strength of the Zionist regime."
3) There are fears of opening of a second front on Israel's northern border with Lebanon if Hezbollah were to intervene...will Iran allay those fears?
"I believe the Zionist regime will be reluctant to open new fronts of conflict. Hezbollah is a legitimate and recognized organization in Lebanon with significant military capabilities, working alongside the Lebanese army to defend the country. The Zionist regime is aware of this reality and has previously experienced Hezbollah's power."
4) The West has been cautious about Iran...
US president has said Iran must be careful. Where is this war heading as sides have been taken by the west and the Arab nations?
The US and its allies are deeply concerned about the emergence of new conflict fronts, as they recognize the vulnerabilities of the Zionist regime.
5) At least 1,200 Israelis, foreigners and dual citizens were killed by Hamas militants during its attack on Saturday... In Gaza, health officials reported 1,417 Palestinians killed by Israel's retaliatory barrages against the coastal enclave- it's this human cost of this war...lives lost. Any further escalation would be catastrophic.
The Zionist regime has killed Palestinians for more than seven decades. Since the beginning of the year, the number of casualties have increased in an unprecedented way. Presently they have cut the supply of water, electricity, medicine to Gaza and they have warned more than1.2 million Palestinians to leave their home and move toward south Gaza. One cannot find the proper words to describe the ongoing human catastrophe in Gaza. The Israeli regime plans to evacuate Gaza of Palestinians. To proceed with their grand project of genocide in Gaza, Zionists need to normalize and naturalize their bestial and criminal acts. Therefore, it's not surprising at all that they promote such a big lie in order to deceive the global community to support them in their inhuman and unbelievable atrocities."
6) Some experts say that among the many reasons for the terror strike by Hamas was to derail the Saudi-Israel normalization deal.
As we said the right narration of the events in Gaza is necessary to prevent misinformation and it's worth noting that Hamas is a Resistance organisation and not a terrorist group.
Regarding your question as a matter of fact any normalization with Apartheid regime without considering the Palestine cause would be doomed to fail Sooner or later. Even if we suppose such a normalization could happen before, it would not be a sustainable and durable deal.
