Iran urges Muslim countries to help end Gaza blockade

Tehran, July 28 (IANS) Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has called on Muslim countries to step up diplomatic efforts to help end Israel's blockade of Gaza, media reported Monday.

Islamic countries and Muslim member states of the Non-Aligned Movement should take "joint action" at the international level to pressure Israel to stop its siege and attacks on Gaza, Zarif said Sunday.

Zarif had telephonic conversations with his counterparts from Algeria, Jordan, Pakistan, Sudan and Morocco Sunday, Press TV reported.

Efforts must be intensified to provide Gazans with humanitarian aid as well as medical supplies and treat those wounded in Israeli raids, he said.

The demands of the Gazans as well as a lasting ceasefire should be supported, Zarif added.

On Sunday, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in an emailed press statement that Hamas and the Palestinian factions agreed to accept the UN-proposed ceasefire for 24 hours, but Israel rejected it.

A Palestinian was killed and 10 injured Sunday after Israeli war jets resumed airstrikes on Gaza, where a UN-proposed humanitarian ceasefire for 42 hours between Israel and Hamas collapsed.

On July 8, Israel launched a large-scale operation on the Gaza Strip, where 1,030 Palestinians and 43 Israelis have been killed and more than 6,000 Palestinians injured.