Iran's president Ebrahim Raisi accused the United States of being an accomplice in Israeli "crimes" after a rocket struck a hospital complex in war-torn Gaza. Ebrahim Raisi said, “The people of the world consider America to be an accomplice in the crimes of the Zionist regime” as thousands of people gathered in central Tehran in solidarity with the Palestinians. Health authorities in Gaza said the hospital strike killed at least 471 people and was caused by Israeli air strikes.
The Israeli army blamed Palestinian militants, saying it had evidence showing an Islamic Jihad rocket had misfired.
In his address to the Tehran rally, Ebrahim Raisi called for a stop to the bombing of the Gaza Strip and an end to the siege of the enclave.
The Iranian president warned of a "harsh revenge by the Islamic world for the crimes committed in Palestine and Gaza".
"With the attack on the hospital, the end of the Zionist regime will start," he said, referring to Israel, adding, “Every drop of blood that is shed from the Palestinians brings the Zionist regime one step closer to its fall.”
Read more: US analysis shows Israel not responsible for Gaza hospital blast: White House
Thousands of people in Tehran were shown on that state television waving flags of Iran, Palestine and Tehran-allied Lebanese militant group Hezbollah as they chanted slogans and held banners that read "Down with America", "Down with Israel" and "Palestine will be liberated".
{{/usCountry}}Thousands of people in Tehran were shown on that state television waving flags of Iran, Palestine and Tehran-allied Lebanese militant group Hezbollah as they chanted slogans and held banners that read "Down with America", "Down with Israel" and "Palestine will be liberated".
{{/usCountry}}Iran also celebrated the "success" of the attack but insisted that it was not involved in the Hamas onslaught when militants stormed across Israel's southern border on October 7, shooting people in their homes and on the streets which killed some 1,400 people. Nearly 200 Israelis, foreigners and dual nationals have been taken hostage by Hamas. Israel responded by pounding Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, killing around 3,500 people.