TEHRAN (Iran News) –In a telephone conversation on Friday, Caretaker Foreign Minister of Iran Ali Baqeri and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud talked about a range of bilateral and regional issues, including the tragic situation in the Gaza Strip.

Condemning the Israeli regime’s crimes in Gaza, Baqeri said that in recent days, the Palestinian refugees have suffered tragic and catastrophic incidents in the Rafah region, during which dozens of innocent, defenseless and oppressed women and children have perished.

Such barbaric attacks add another shameful page to the record of the crimes committed by the evil and brutal Zionist regime, the Iranian diplomat said, noting that Israel has suffered unprecedented failures in all international arenas, including the political, legal and public diplomacy spheres.

The Israeli regime is trying to make up for its defeats through committing crimes in Rafah, Baqeri noted, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.

He also described supports for the oppressed Palestinian people in Gaza, particularly Rafah, as a religious and Islamic duty of all Muslims, saying it is necessary for the Islamic and regional countries to work together to take practical measures in this regard.

For his part, the Saudi foreign minister deplored the tragic events in Gaza and Rafah, saying Israel’s criminal actions have no bounds.

The UN says daily life has become “apocalyptic” in parts of southern Gaza since Israel moved into the city of Rafah.

At least 36,284 Palestinians have been killed and 82,057 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 7, 2023.

TEHRAN (Iran News) –Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, announced on Saturday that nearly half of Rafah’s population, approximately 800,000 people, have been displaced since the Israeli military began its operations on May 6.

“The invasion of the city,” Lazzarini stated on X, formerly Twitter, “has forced nearly half of Rafah’s population onto the road, fleeing the military operation in the area.”

The invasion of the city came amid a genocidal war against Gaza by the regime that has so far claimed the lives of more than 35,300 Palestinians.

Prior to these incursions, around 1.5 million Palestinians had sought refuge in Rafah, escaping the broader war that erupted following a retaliatory operation by Gaza’s resistance groups against the occupied territories.

According to Lazzarini, those fleeing Rafah have moved to “the middle areas and (the southern Gaza city of) Khan Younis, including to destroyed buildings.”

He further reported that Al-Mawasi, a coastal town, and Deir el-Balah in central Gaza are “crammed” with the newly displaced.

“Every time, they are forced to leave behind the few belongings they have …. Every time, they have to start from scratch, all over again,” Lazzarini added.

Simultaneously, the Israeli military has seized the Rafah crossing, the main entry point for aid supplies, including fuel, from Egypt into Gaza.

This action is part of a comprehensive siege that the Israeli regime is enforcing against the entire Gaza Strip in conjunction with its ongoing genocidal military campaign.

TEHRAN (Iran News) –Amid escalating Israeli violence, fears of a humanitarian crisis mount in Rafah, prompting urgent calls for intervention.

Humanitarian relief sources revealed to Reuters that shipments of essential supplies to Gaza have ceased, exacerbating concerns of an impending catastrophe in Rafah. The United Nations has repeatedly cautioned against the dire consequences of a ground invasion by Israel, highlighting Rafah’s vulnerability as a last refuge for Palestinians.

Reports from Al Jazeera Arabic indicate that casualties continue to rise, with three individuals killed in an Israeli air strike on a residence belonging to the al-Darbi family. Overnight bombardments have claimed the lives of at least twelve others in separate attacks on Rafah, intensifying the city’s plight.

The escalation of Israeli military assaults has left residents of Rafah in a state of distress and uncertainty. With internal displacement becoming a grim reality, the city’s population grapples with the looming threat of further violence.

Israeli military actions have targeted residential areas, raising fears of widespread destruction akin to the devastation witnessed in Khan Younis. The severity of the situation was underscored by firsthand accounts of a night marked by relentless violence and destruction.

The seizure of the Rafah crossing by Israeli forces signifies a strategic move to isolate Gaza from essential humanitarian aid. The crossing, a vital lifeline for supplies, now stands as a symbol of the region’s vulnerability amid escalating Israeli hostilities.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is under increasing domestic pressure after Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal brokered by Qatar and Egypt. Demonstrations in Tel Aviv reflect the public’s desire for government intervention to secure the release of captives and end the cycle of violence in Gaza, which has left at least 34,735 people killed and 78,108 wounded since October 7.

TEHRAN (Iran News) –In a statement on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said the Israeli strike, launched in spite of all international warnings and the world’s fierce opposition, reveals the ferocity of the rogue Zionist regime, which does not honor any international norms and is the main source of threat to international peace and security.

“This move by the (Israeli) regime has been taken to render the international efforts at the cessation of war and ending the genocide in Gaza futile and with the sole purpose of serving the individual and collective interests of the Zionists,” he said.

Describing an immediate and unconditional end to the war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as the key to the restoration of calm and security to the region, Kanaani urged that all international actors should pressure the Zionist regime.

The Israeli regime and its main sponsor, namely the US government, are definitely responsible for the crimes and bloodshed in Rafah and must be held accountable for the atrocities, the Iranian spokesman added.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran once again calls on the international legal and judicial institutions to expedite the prosecution of the apartheid Zionist regime’s officials for their anti-human crimes and bring them to justice,” Kanaani stated.

His comments came after the Israeli forces seized control of Gaza’s Rafah border crossing, cutting off a vital route for humanitarian aid and potential sanctuary for civilians from a building offensive.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that it had seized “operational control” of the Gaza side of the border post, which links the besieged enclave with Egypt. The closure of the crucial passage and positioning of tanks in the center of Rafah is seen as a demonstration of Israel’s determination to press on with an assault on the southern city despite ongoing truce talks.

The 401st Brigade of the Zionist regime entered the Rafah crossing early on Tuesday, closing a route vital for the aid entering Gaza and any civilians able to flee the fighting to Egypt.

The operation came amid an overnight assault on eastern parts of the city. Warplanes pounded residential homes, killing at least 12 people.

The assault comes despite Hamas having said on Monday that it had agreed with the terms of a truce deal hammered out by mediators.

At least 34,789 people have been killed and 78,204 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, 2023.