MOSCOW, April 10 Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi expressed condolences to the head Hamas political bureau to Ismail Haniyeh in connection with the deaths of his sons and grandchildren, the movement reported.
Previously, the media reported that three sons and several grandchildren of the head of the Politburo of the Palestinian Hamas movement ruling in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh, died as a result of an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip. Haniyeh himself, commenting on the death of his sons, said that it would not affect the movement’s demands for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. In a statement issued following the news of the deaths of his sons and grandsons, Haniyeh noted that about 60 of his relatives had died during the years of confrontation with Israel.
“Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the Hamas movement, was contacted by His Excellency the President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi, expressing condolences on the martyrdom of his children and grandchildren from the treacherous Zionist (Israeli — ed.) shelling,” says a message published on Telegram -Hamas channel.
On October 7, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented-scale rocket attack from the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, announced by the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement. After this, the organization’s fighters entered the border areas in southern Israel, where they opened fire on both military and civilians, and also took more than 200 hostages. In Israel, according to the latest data from the authorities, about 1.2 thousand people were killed, this number includes civilians, soldiers, foreign citizens and workers, and it was also reported that more than 5 thousand were injured.
In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Iron Swords against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Within a few days, the Israeli military took control of all populated areas near the border with Gaza and began carrying out air strikes on targets, including civilians, in the strip. Israel also announced a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip: the supply of water, food, electricity, medicine, and fuel was stopped. At the end of October, the ground phase of the Israeli operation in the enclave began. Gaza City was surrounded by Israeli ground forces, and the enclave was effectively divided into southern and northern parts.
The death toll from Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip exceeded 33.4 thousand, and about 76 thousand people were injured, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported.
Hamas claimed that there were about 200-250 hostages in the Gaza Strip. After the end of the truce, Israeli authorities announced that 126 Israelis and 11 foreigners remained hostage with Hamas, and 110 abducted were released.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to stop hostilities. According to the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the settlement of the Middle East crisis is possible only on the basis of a “two-state” formula approved by the UN Security Council, which provides for the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, related to the territorial interests of the parties, has been a source of tension and clashes in the region for many decades. A UN decision with the active role of the USSR in 1947 determined the creation of two states — Israel and Palestine, but only the Israeli one was created.