DUBAI, April 24. /TASS/. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has called on international courts to hold Israel accountable for actions during the military operation in the Gaza Strip and "occupation of the Palestinian territory."

"International courts should punish the repressive and usurper Zionist regime (Israel - TASS) so that no one dares to arrogate to itself the rights of [an entire] people and mercilessly kill women and children," IRNA news agency quoted him as saying at a joint news conference with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickramasinghe in Colombo.

Raisi noted that he and his Sri Lankan counterpart were in favor of seeing an end to Gaza bombardment as soon as possible, and were also seeking that "assistance be provided to the oppressed people of Palestine and access to water, food and medicine ensured for them."

During the Iranian president's official visit to Colombo, the parties signed five documents on cooperation on scientific, technological, cultural and other tracks. The two presidents gave the go-ahead to the Uma Oya large irrigation project, carried out with the participation of Iranian engineers. It includes two dams and a 120-megawatt power plant. The cost of the project is estimated at $500 million.

South Africa brought the case over Israel’s possible violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide to the International Court of Justice on December 29, 2023. The case files say that the Israeli authorities’ actions can be described as an act of genocide because they are based on the specific intent "to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group." On January 26, the court decreed that Israel should take all necessary measures to prevent genocide in Gaza. A preliminary stage of the proceedings is underway now, hearings on the merits will begin later and may take several years.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 240 hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians before the crisis, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes have also been reported on the West Bank.

The Israeli operation has so far resulted in 34,200 deaths and 77,000 injuries.