According to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the subjugation of the Palestinian people to unjust treatment for over 75 years and their continued occupation is what led to the events of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7. 

During an emergency BRICS meeting discussing "Israel's" onslaught of Gaza, Raisi expressed that the claims of the Israeli occupation that the war on Gaza began after the events of October 7 are a "distortion of reality."

He questioned whether the martyrdom of Palestinians in the West Bank had anything to do with Hamas.

"In this one year, as many as 200 Palestinians were martyred. Did anyone have rockets in Gaza and the West Bank?," he questioned.

Raisi expressed that since the UN Security Council was essentially useless, it was "necessary for the BRICS member countries to adopt a binding resolution in the UN General Assembly within the framework of the United Nations Peace Mechanism against the Zionist regime and with the aim of stopping crimes against the people of Gaza."

He called the continued killing of innocent civilians, particularly women, children, health workers, and journalists "acts of terrorism," emphasizing the need to label the Israeli occupation as a "terrorist organization".

The Iranian President also added that the United States should be tried in the international criminal court along with its ally for its crimes against humanity and for aiding and abetting Israeli actions. In addition, he remarked that BRICS members should form a "special international mission" to investigate the crimes of the Israeli occupation in order to make them public and punish the criminals responsible.

Raisi also highlighted the importance of BRICS members breaking the siege on Gaza and creating a "permanent and safe route" for humanitarian aid, in addition to severing their political, economic, and military relationships with "Israel" immediately.

On Monday, addressing the presidents of 50 countries, Raisi called for the unity of free nations in the course of lifting the siege of Gaza and putting an end to the atrocities of the Zionist regime in Palestine. 

BRICS calls for immediate ceasefire

BRICS countries called for an urgent and prolonged humanitarian truce in Gaza on Tuesday, accusing "Israel" of war crimes and genocide in the Palestinian strip.

In a summary statement, the group expressed that the truce was declared among a reiterated "strong support for regional and international efforts aimed at achieving an immediate cessation of hostilities, ensuring the protection of civilians and the provision of humanitarian aid."

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called the collective punishment of Palestinians by force "a war crime" and the denial of medicine, fuel, and food "tantamount to genocide."

This comes in parallel with the South African parliament voting in favor of closing the Israeli embassy, expelling the Israeli ambassador, and cutting diplomatic ties with the Israeli occupation in rejection of the brutal war waged by the occupation on Gaza.

BRICS leaders and delegates called for a long-term diplomatic solution to the Palestinian issue and  Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an "international peace conference" to that end. "There can be no sustainable peace and security in the Middle East without a just solution to the question of Palestine," he expressed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has criticized the West for inflaming Middle Eastern tensions and chastised "Israel" for its actions in the conflict, said a "long-term and sustainable ceasefire" was essential to preventing the war from expanding.