Iranian President delivers rare speech to Gaza rally: Press on with the struggle

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Friday delivered an unprecedented speech to an annual pro-Palestinian Arab rally in the Gaza Strip, The Associated Press reported.

The speech came on the occasion of the annual Al-Quds Day, in which rallies are customarily held around the world and are used to incite against Israelis and Jews.

Speaking virtually to hundreds of supporters of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad gathered at a soccer stadium in Gaza City, Raisi urged Palestinian Arabs to press on with their struggle against Israel.

“The initiative to self-determination is today in the hands of the Palestinian fighters,” Raisi said, according to AFP, dismissing the Palestinian Authority headed by Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, which has been at odds with Hamas since 2007.

During the ceremony, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, celebrated the fact that terrorists in southern Lebanon, Gaza and Syria had fired rockets into Israeli territory, describing the attacks as a response to the police raid on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

“The response came like a simple electric shock,” Sinwar said of the rocket fire.

The address by Raisi is another sign of the close ties between Iran both Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Officials in both groups have admitted in the past that Iran provided them with financial and military assistance.

Hamas and Iran have restored ties that had been strained in recent years, as evident in the summer of 2017 when Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh thanked Iran for its “unlimited” support for the Al-Qassam Brigades and its contribution to the development of Hamas’ military capabilities.

Hamas deputy leader Salah Al-Aruri has made several visits to Iran in recent years in which he met with senior officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, another indication that the rift is over.

In August of 2022, Raisi met in Tehran with Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Nahala. During the meeting, the Iranian President lashed out at Israel.

Raisi’s unprecedented speech also came amid reports on Friday that Esmail Ghaani, who leads the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, has been coordinating attacks on Israel with Hamas and Hezbollah.

(Israel National News’ North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)