Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing situation in the Middle East and the release of prisoners held in Gaza.
According to an official statement issued by the Brazilian government, Silva noted that there is a group of Brazilians waiting to leave the Gaza Strip near the Egyptian border and expressed sympathy for the women and children suffering from the fighting in the area.
The Iranian president called for an immediate end to Israeli bombings and an end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip.
President Lula asked that everything be done to reach a consensus that would create a humanitarian corridor and appealed for the release of all hostages, which would be the best signal to call for an end to the bombing of Gaza, the report said.
“The most important thing is to ensure that women, children and the elderly do not suffer the consequences of those who want war,” Lula said during the interview.
“It saddens me to see how difficult it is for poor people to build a house or a hospital. And how easily it is destroyed in a war.”
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi issued a message to his troops on Tuesday before Israel announced preparations were underway to launch a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a Hamas attack on its territory. area.
In a message shared on X, the IDF called Hamas’ terror attack on Israel a “murderous surprise attack” against Israel and said it was attacking the “enemy” from the air, land, and sea.
Addressing IDF soldiers and commanders, he said on X: “On Saturday morning, October 7, 2023, the terrorist organization Hamas launched a murderous surprise attack against the State of Israel. They seek to destabilize Israel’s sovereignty by carrying out cruel and criminal actions. During this fateful hour, we uphold our oath, that we will protect our homeland and the freedom of Israel, and we are defending ourselves. This is the eleventh day in a row that the IDF has attacked the enemy from the air, land, and sea.”
The letter added: “We have destroyed the enemy’s infrastructure, leadership, and capabilities and inflicted significant damage. We will pursue and capture them everywhere and strike them with force. We are determined and united in our mission to protect our home and are prepared for any situation.” Our uncompromising responsibility is to overwhelm the enemy and restore security everywhere.”
The IDF Chief of Staff further emphasized the importance of the moment and declared that the IDF would win the war, saying that the army was trained for this mission.
“We have been hit hard and we are responsible, but now the initiative is in our hands. Each of you has a role to play in the challenges we face. The war will be hard and long and the IDF will win. The IDF will win because of our commitment to the mission, our bravery, and our camaraderie. The IDF will win because our war is just. The IDF will win because of the strength of the nation we are a part of. We will win because of our abilities and because we have trained for this mission. We will win and in everything we do we will act by the spirit of the IDF and their values, ” said the IDF Chief of Staff in his message to the soldiers.
The letter further read: “We will remember our comrades, soldiers, commanders, security forces, rapid response teams, and civilians who bravely attacked the enemy and fought bravely and saved many lives. They fought and paid with their lives but their blood was not absorbed into the soil in vain; they are our heritage and we will continue their mission.”
According to the Gaza-based Ministry of Health, the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza has risen to 2,750 and the number of wounded to 9,700. In a previous statement, the ministry said over 750 children were among the people killed in the Israeli attacks.
Image Source: ANI News
