Chairman of Iran's Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani deplored the silence of the international bodies on the recent Israeli crimes against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and called on the people from different walks of life to continue protest rallies against Tel Aviv.
"The silence of the international bodies on Israel's crimes in Gaza is amazing," Rafsanjani said in a message to a rally currently underway in front of the UN office in Tehran in protest at Israel's atrocities in Gaza.
Iranians from different walks of life have taken part in the protest rally which started in front of the United Nations office in Tehran an hour ago.
"It is for more than half a century now that the western governments have ignited the inferno of this extremist group (Zionism) in the region in a bid to keep the Zionists away from their own life in the West, while crimes has always been their (the Zionists') distinctive feature and trait and silence and even at times supporting the criminals has become the habit of the international bodies," the chairman of Iran's Expediency Council said.
He noted that the most recent crimes of the Zionists has been bombardment of Gaza and killing of the innocent people, specially the women and children, while the advocates of human rights have once again remained silent and certain global powers have surprisingly labeled Israeli crimes as self-defense.
Over 2,000 Gazans, mostly women and children, have been killed and over 11,000 others were severely wounded in the Israeli forces' war against the Strip since July 8.
On Wednesday night, the Israeli officials and Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas agreed to extend ceasefire for five days ending on Monday midnight. Israel and Hamas reached a deal on Monday on extending the temporary truce by an extra 24 hours until Tuesday at midnight (2100 GMT), but Israel resume airstrikes on Gaza in the afternoon and even before the deadline.
Meantime, senior UN officials said the Gaza Strip has suffered an "unprecedented" amount of destruction as a result of Israel’s offensive against the coastal enclave.
"The reconstruction of Gaza remains the main priority once a durable truce is agreed between the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas and Israel," UN Mideast envoy Robert Serry said Monday.
"Construction material must be allowed into Gaza to this effect -- aggregate, bar and cement. And their access to Gaza must be facilitated," Serry emphasized.
"Some 16800 housing units have been demolished or severely damaged in the Israeli attacks, which started on July 8 and the devastation is three times worse than the damage caused during the previous Israeli war against Gaza in 2008-2009," he added.
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