Hamas rooted in reality of Palestinians, cannot be eliminated: Iran FM

“Even if the US and Israel continue the war in Gaza for even 10 years, they will not be able to destroy Hamas. because Hamas is rooted in the reality of the Palestinian people,” Amirabdollahian said during an interview at the Doha Forum.

He said Hamas’s Operation Al-Aqsa Storm had its roots 75 years ago and the conflict between the occupying entity and Palestinians did not begin on October 7, when the operation was carried out.

He also reiterated that the Islamic Republic was not informed of the operation beforehand but supported the Palestinian struggle against the occupation.

“We have clearly warned that if these attacks against civilians, women, and children continue, the scope of the war will be expanded to the entire region,” the chief Iranian diplomat said, referring to recent confrontations between the Zionist regime and regional resistance movements in Palestine, Lebanon, and Yemen.

“Of course, none of these groups are Iran’s proxies, but we support any action based on international law that would help end the occupation. We provide Hamas and resistance with strong political support against the occupation phenomenon.”

According to Amirabdollahian, Tehran has already presented its solution for the Palestinian issue, namely holding a referendum among all genuine Palestinians, including Jews, Christians, and Muslims so that they decide their fate.

“They have the right to declare their opinion after seventy-five years to determine their fate in a referendum held by the United Nations, and based on the result, the issue will come to an end,” he said.

Elsewhere during the interview, Amirabdollahian slammed the disproportionality of the occupying regime’s response to the alleged killing of 1,200 Israeli settlers.

Israel should have observed the principle of proportionality, he asserted, adding, “Does killing 18,000 civilians for 1,200 mean observing the principle of proportionality?”

Israel waged the bloody war on Gaza on October 7, after Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out an unprecedented retaliatory operation into the occupied territories over the regime’s intensified violence against Palestinians.

So far, at least 17,997 people, including 7,729 children and 5,153 women, have been killed in Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, and at least 49,229 others wounded.