Iran, EU discuss situation in Gaza

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip in a phone call.

"The Iranian foreign minister added that the continuation of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the Israeli regime's move to starve the people of the region has turned the situation there into the 'real crisis of the century'," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Amir-Abdollahian said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "has taken the Gaza case and even the national interests of the United States hostage for his own interests."

He appreciated Borrell's view regarding the necessity of stopping the war and sending immediate humanitarian aid to Gaza.

While pointing to the responsibility of the international community and the EU with regard to the Palestinian issue, Amir-Abdollahian said "it is time for punitive measures against the Israeli regime and for the formation of an international inquiry into its crimes including the hybrid crimes at Gaza's Shifa Hospital."

According to the statement, the minister referred to Borrell's diplomatic efforts to help end the Gaza crisis but criticized the "double standards" of the West towards Palestine and Ukraine.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by Hamas in which nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed.

More than 32,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and nearly 74,400 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.