Tehran's Foreign Ministry calls Israeli actions in Gaza "war crimes", "state terrorism"; Egypt working to halt escalation.
By JPOST.COM STAFFPalestinians look at the remains of exploded vehicle 390 R(photo credit: REUTERS)
Iran called for Israeli leaders to be "brought to justice" over the recent escalation in the Gaza Strip, saying that they committed "war crimes" and "state terrorism," Tehran's Foreign Ministry stated."Targeted killings account for gross violation of international law and an ordinary practice Israel does to assassinate Palestinian combatants," the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated. "Though the Israeli war crimes against Palestinian civilians are not a new practice, it reflects the terrorist nature of the Tel Aviv regime and its ignorance of the international law," Tehran said.Iran joined Arab and Muslim countries in their condemnation of IDF operations in the Gaza Strip.On Saturday, Turkey condemned Israel for air strikes that have killed 17 Palestinians, including one teenage boy. The Turkish Foreign Ministry called the IDF operations "disproportionate and indiscriminate," according to Turkey's Today's Zaman website.The Arab League also condemned Israeli actions, calling IDF operations in Gaza a massacre, and urging the international community to pressure Israel.Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip have fired over 160 rockets into Israel after the IAF foiled a major terror attack, killing the secretary general of the Popular Resistance Committees, Zuhair el-Qeisi in a bombing on Friday.Hamas has contacted Egypt the last few days hoping that the country - which often acts as an intermediary between Israel and the Gaza-ruling Islamist group - can pressure Israel in order to restore calm, according to the report.Click here for special JPost coverage
