DUBAI, November 1. /TASS/. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called to stop exporting oil and foodstuffs to Israel in the wake of its military operation against the radical Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"They must promptly stop the bombardment of Gaza, and stop the export of oil and foodstuff to the Zionist regime (Israel - TASS)," he said, as quoted by the Iranian news agency Tasnim.

On October 18, at a meeting with Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian called for sanctions on Israel, including a ban on oil imports to Tel Aviv. Also, Amirabdollahian suggested establishing a special tribunal under the OIC's auspices to bring Israel’s leadership to justice for their "war crimes" in the Gaza Strip.

Tensions flared up in the Middle East after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israeli territory on October 7, when many Israelis living in the settlements near the border were killed and more than 200 people, including children, women and the elderly, were taken hostage. Hamas views its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ steps against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.