Addressing an event, held in Tehran on Tuesday to mark the National Day of Village and Nomads, Pezeshkian said the enemies had hoped an attack on Iran would plunge the country into chaos, but the Iranian people stood firm and achieved significant accomplishments across all sectors.
“We will not allow our homeland to become a playground for aggressors and evildoers,” he emphasized.
Highlighting the deep-rooted culture of cooperation and mutual aid among Iranians, Pezeshkian noted that his administration is working to resolve national challenges. “With the current trajectory and the participation of all ethnic groups and citizens, and with God’s help, we will overcome these problems,” he added.
On the situation in Gaza, Pezeshkian condemned the injustices and killings of civilians, criticizing those who claim to uphold human rights while remaining silent in the face of mass atrocities by the Zionist regime.
“It is difficult to tolerate the words of people who speak of human rights while innocent people are being murdered in Gaza. Those blinded by money and power will never cease their oppression,” he stated.
It has been two years since the Israeli regime launched its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Two years of Israeli attacks have killed at least 67,000 Palestinians. Thousands of other people are still under the rubble. That is about one out of every 33 people killed, or 3 percent of the pre-war population. At least 20,000 children are among the dead, or one child killed every hour for the past 24 months.
More than 169,000 people have been injured in Gaza, many with life-altering wounds. UNICEF estimated that 3,000 to 4,000 children in Gaza have lost one or more limbs.
The Israeli regime has attacked nearly all of Gaza’s hospitals and healthcare facilities. Over the past two years, at least 125 health facilities have been damaged, including 34 hospitals, leaving patients without access to essential medical services.
Israeli strikes on hospitals and the continued bombardment of Gaza have killed at least 1,722 health and aid workers.
The Zionist regime has also orchestrated widespread hunger in Gaza through military restrictions that have blocked aid for months and an imposed food distribution system in which people are shot almost daily while trying to collect food. At least 459 people, including 154 children, have died due to starvation.
When the Israeli- and US-backed GHF took over aid operations on May 27, operating outside the UN framework, it introduced a new, deadly distribution system. According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, more than 2,600 people have been killed and over 19,000 injured by fire from Israeli soldiers and GHF security contractors while trying to collect food from GHF sites.
Since October 2023, the Israeli regime has systematically targeted Gaza’s already compromised water infrastructure – striking wells, pipelines, desalination plants and sewage systems. According to UN experts, 89 percent of the enclave’s water and sanitation network has been damaged or destroyed, leaving more than 96 percent of households water insecure.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, by August, 92 percent of all residential buildings and 88 percent of commercial facilities had been damaged or destroyed. Entire neighborhoods have been wiped out, leaving millions of Palestinians displaced and without shelter.
Gaza’s education system has collapsed under the weight of war as well. Nearly 658,000 school-aged children and 87,000 university students have been left without access to learning as classrooms and campuses lie in ruins.
More than 10,800 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons under what rights groups describe as grave and inhumane conditions, including 450 children and 87 women.