Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani yesterday called on the US and some European countries to “completely and practically” stop supporting Israel in order to end the “reckless and brutal” violence against the Palestinians.

Commenting on a statement by the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell – who stressed that a sustainable ceasefire is the only way to protect civilians in Gaza and free all prisoners – Kanaani said that words are not enough to end the desperate humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. The only way, he added, to end “this painful tragedy, as well as the reckless and brutal violence” against the Palestinians is the “complete and practical” end of US and European support for Israel.

Israel has launched a wide-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, following the unprecedented bloodshed on October 7 that claimed the lives of around 1,200 people. Since then, at least 36,731 Palestinians have been killed and 83,530 injured in Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave said.