Hamas chief arrives in Iran for talks on Gaza war

Israel’s war on Gaza will be focus of Ismail Haniyeh’s talks with Iranian officials, Hamas says

GAZA CITY:

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for talks with Iranian officials, the Palestinian group said.

Haniyeh’s talks in Iran will focus on Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip and the latest Palestinian developments, Hamas said in a statement.

The visit came one day after the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.

While Hamas welcomed the resolution, Israel rejected the cease-fire call and vowed to continue its war on the Palestinian enclave.

Read also: Hamas issues ceasefire proposal detailing exchange of captives, prisoners

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.

More than 32,333 Palestinians have since been killed and over 74,694 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war, now in its 172nd day, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.