Tehran voices support for bids to halt crimes, ethnic cleansing in Gaza
Iran reacted to a recent peace plan proposed by the United States to end Israel’s onslaught on Gaza, saying that it will support any decision aimed at halting war crimes and ethnic cleansing in the Palestinian territory.
In a statement on Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Tehran has always supported initiatives aimed at halting war crimes and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip and securing Palestinian self-determination, citing the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the legal and moral responsibility of states to support the legitimate struggle of Palestinians to achieve freedom.
The statement said that decisions over any cease-fire or political settlement must rest with the Palestinians themselves, including the armed resistance.
It said Tehran welcomes any decision by them that “entails stopping the genocide of Palestinians, the withdrawal of the occupying Zionist army from Gaza, respect for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, the entry of humanitarian assistance and the reconstruction of Gaza.”
Tehran also warned that a cessation of hostilities would not absolve international actors of their duty to pursue legal accountability.
US President Donald Trump welcomed at the weekend Hamas’s positive response to a peace proposal for Gaza and called on Israel to “immediately stop bombing Gaza,” while Israel has continued its deadly bombardment of Gaza, killing at least 20 more Palestinians since dawn.
The ministry stressed that stopping the violence must be accompanied by “legal and judicial” action to hold the regime accountable, and to “identify and prosecute the commanders and perpetrators of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, with the aim of ending the decades-long impunity of the Zionist regime.”
The statement was referring to a Trump-proposed cease-fire plan, which demands the rapid release of captives held in Gaza, staged Israeli withdrawals, and the creation of a transitional administration.
On Friday, Hamas submitted its response to the 20-point proposal, with the group agreeing to hand over administration of the besieged territory to Palestinian technocrats and free all Israeli captives.
The Gaza-based resistance group’s response said it was willing to “immediately enter” peace negotiations through mediators.