Iran Majlis speaker decries Israel air strikes on Gaza

Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani has condemned the new wave of Israeli aggression against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Rifts among Muslims caused by Takfiri groups’ activities in the region have emboldened the Israeli regime, Larijani said on Thursday.

He urged Muslims to remain united against reactionary elements in the region and their Western supporters.

He said unity among Muslims would foil plots by enemies of Islam, especially the Israeli regime.

Israel has stepped up attacks against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The regime’s intense bombardment of the coastal sliver since Tuesday has killed at least 97 people and wounded more than 600 others.

According to Palestinian sources, one third of the casualties are women and children.

Meanwhile, Tel Aviv is reportedly taking steps toward a ground incursion into the coastal enclave. An Israeli military spokesman said that Israel had mobilized 20,000 reservists for a possible ground operation into Gaza.

Palestinian resistance movements in the besieged Gaza Strip have responded to Israel’s aggression by targeting towns and cities deep inside the occupied Palestinian territories.

Israel imposed an all-out land, aerial, and naval blockade on Gaza in June 2007. The siege has had a disastrous impact on the humanitarian and economic situation in the impoverished enclave.