Iran, Organization of Islamic Cooperation condemn Israel's attack on civilians in Gaza

By Esra Tekin and Ekrem Biceroglu

ISTANBUL (AA) — Iran and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issued separate statements Thursday condemning Israel's firing on civilians awaiting humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, killing dozens.

"More than 100 Palestinian citizens who were waiting in line to receive humanitarian aid on Al-Rashid Street in Gaza were martyred, more than 800 people were injured due to the barbaric attack by the Zionist Regime," Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on X.

"The wound of Gaza will not be erased from the memory of the free people of the world, and the shame of supporting and remaining silent towards the mass killing and genocide of Palestinians by the criminal Zionist regime will be evident on the foreheads of the false champions of #HumanRights in the #UnitedStates and #Europe," Kanaaini added.

In a statement, the OIC said it "condemns in the strongest terms the continued massacres and war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation army, the latest of which was the heinous massacre against Palestinian citizens who were waiting for aid trucks at the Nabulsi roundabout near Al-Rashid Street in Gaza City, which led to the martyrdom and injury of hundreds of them."

It also urged the global community to "urgently" halt the Israel's "crimes of genocide," ensure the international safeguarding of Palestinian civilians, and guarantee the timely delivery of essential supplies and continuous urgent humanitarian aid for them.

Also, Al-Azhar Univeristy in Egypt called Israel’s targeting of Palestinians gathered to receive aid in the Gaza Strip a "stain on humanity" in a written statement.

It called on the international community to "awaken from an unprecedented slumber in history" to stop the Israel’s attacks on Gaza.

Early Thursday, Israeli forces shelled a crowd of Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid south of Gaza City at the "al-Nabulsi Roundabout" area, killing at least 112 Palestinians and injuring 760 others, according to the Gaza-based Health Ministry.

Israel has launched a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack, which Tel Aviv said killed less than 1,200 people.

At least 30,035 Palestinians have since been killed and 70,457 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war 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.