Iran, Turkey discuss developments in Palestinian–Israeli conflict

Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan have discussed the developments in the Palestinian–Israeli conflict in the wake of a massive military operation by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) against Israel.

In a phone call, the two foreign ministers highlighted the necessity for respecting the Palestinian people's rights while evaluating the latest developments in the Arab state, according to a statement released by the Iranian foreign ministry on Saturday, 7 October.

The Iranian foreign minister described the Hamas move as "a consequence of Israel's constant crimes against Palestine".

On Saturday, several other Iranian officials also expressed their support for the Hamas military operation against Israel, the Xinhua news agency reported.

In a statement published on the Iranian foreign ministry's website, ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said the military operation was a 'spontaneous move of Palestinians in defence of their inalienable and undeniable rights, as well as their natural reaction to the warmongering and provocative policies of Israel'.

Yahya Rahim Safavi, top military adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, expressed his country's support for the Palestinian military operation at a conference in the Iranian capital of Tehran.

In major Iranian cities such as Tehran and Mashhad, people gathered in the streets on Saturday night to show solidarity with the Palestinian people, according to Iran's official news agency IRNA.

Early on Saturday morning, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, fired thousands of rockets into Israel, with dozens of its militants simultaneously infiltrating Israeli border towns, prompting Israel to hit back. The ongoing escalating tensions have left hundreds of people from both sides killed.