By Staff, Agencies

Iranian President Sayyed Ebrahim Raisi called on Pope Francis to use his leverage and position in the West and press the supporters of ‘Israel’ to stop backing the Zionist atrocities against Gaza.

In a telephone conversation with the Pope on Sunday, Raisi slammed the terrible and unprecedented crimes of the Zionist regime in killing 10,000 Palestinian people, including 4,000 children and 2,500 women, as the biggest genocide.

He described the Zionists' crimes against the oppressed women and children of Gaza, including the attack on the Baptist Hospital and the Jabaliya camp, as a clear example of crimes against humanity, his official website reported.

Referring to reports from the international institutions that have called the Zionist regime an apartheid one, Raisi stated, “The bombing of the Gaza church and the destruction of this historical heritage of the Palestinian nation is one of the examples of apartheid practices not only against Palestinian Muslims but also against other divine religions, which is carried out with the support of American and several European countries.”

Supporting the oppressed people of Palestine today is the practice of the teachings of all Abrahamic religions, including Christianity, Raisi underlined.

He then appreciated the position of the Catholic leader on the necessity for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and asked Pope Francis, considering his position in the West, to remind the Western countries that support this regime to speed up the cessation of these crimes, and play a role in correctly explaining the position of the oppressor and the oppressed.

He also emphasized the principled policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran towards the oppressed people of Gaza and the use of all diplomatic capacities to immediately stop the attacks and send humanitarian aid to this region.

For his part, the Pope appreciated the positions of President Raisi in supporting the oppressed people of Palestine, emphasizing the need to try to stop the attacks on Gaza and establish a ceasefire in this region.

“As the leader of the world's Catholics I will do everything in my power to stop these attacks and prevent more women and children from becoming victims in Gaza,” the Pope stated.

At least 9,922 Palestinians have been martyred in ‘Israeli’ attacks on Gaza and the occupied West Bank since October 7.