Iran urges Islamic states aid to Gaza

With new international efforts underway to deliver aid supplies to Gaza, Iran has called on Islamic countries to provide financial support for the besieged territory.

Addressing the 35th annual meeting of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Board of Governors in Azerbaijan, Iranian Minister of Economy Shamseddin Hosseini condemned the silence of human rights advocates about the crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinian people, saying their approach is “shameful.”

“The oppressed people of Gaza are in need of the all-out support of Islamic countries and free-spirited nations of the world to break the blockade of the strip,” Hosseini was quoted by IRIB as saying on Wednesday.

The comments come a day after Israeli Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said Tel Aviv would block Iranian and Lebanese aid shipments to the Gaza Strip, referring to them as “flow of arms.”

“We have the right to inspect and prevent the flow of arms into Gaza. We can’t let Gaza become an Iranian port,” Ashkenazi said on Tuesday.

His statement followed earlier remarks by Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast, announcing plans to send two Iranian aid ships carrying humanitarian relief and medical supplies to the Gaza Strip.

The pro-Palestinian campaign comes after Israeli commandos stormed the Gaza Freedom Flotilla aid convoy on May 31, killing at least 9 civilian activists and injuring dozens of others in international waters.