International

Iran Funding Hamas Operations: Israel UN Envoy Gilan Erdan

Israel UN Envoy Gilan Erdan’s statement comes amid the war with Palestine that started after Hamas launched its biggest attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip.

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Killing hundreds of Israelis
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Iran has been funding the Hamas group's operations, Israel's envoy to the UN Gilad Erdan has said.

Erdan’s statement comes amid the war with Palestine that started after Hamas launched its biggest attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip.

Israel's representative to the UN Gilad Erdan said they are quite sure that Iran has been backing Hamas' operations and by extension the terrorist attack on Saturday morning that left over 600 Israelis dead and thousands injured, the reports said.

Erdan's comment comes hours after Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said Iran supports the Palestinians' right to self-defence and warned Israel must be held accountable for endangering the region.

"Iran supports the legitimate defence of the Palestinian nation," Raisi said, as per Iran’s state television. 

"The Zionist regime (Israel) and its supporters are responsible for endangering the security of nations in the region, and they must be held accountable in this matter," he added.

He urged Muslim governments to "support the Palestinian nation" while praising "resistance" efforts by Hamas and other groups in countries including Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.

Iran had talks with leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in June.

At the time, Raisi said Israel was seeking to normalise ties with more Arab and Muslim countries "to discourage young Palestinians from (seeking to) liberate the occupied territories", according to the presidency.    

Meanwhile, the death toll continues to mount in the war between Hamas and Israel.

The attack has been the deadliest ever for Israel. 

According to various reports, over 600 Israelis and around 370 in Gaza have been killed aftermath of the Hamas attack.

Israel's main military spokesman called the attack by Hamas, who killed at least 700 Israelis and abducted dozens, as "the worst massacre of innocent civilians in 
Israel's history" and the response has been correspondingly harsh.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to reduce Hamas' hideouts in Gaza to rubble in response to the attack.

The Palestinian death count in Gaza climbed to nearly 300 as a result of intense air strikes on the coastal enclave, Reuters reported.

The report also said throughout the night, intense gun battles ensued between Israeli forces and hundreds of Hamas fighters across at least 22 locations in Israel. 

The report also added this included at least two areas where gunmen were holding hostages.

Meanwhile, Hamas has said that the United States' plan to provide increased military aid to Israel amounts to "aggression" against Palestinians, after Washington ordered navy ships and warplanes closer to Israel.