UPDATE – UN resolution on Gaza cease-fire shows Israel’s isolation, Hamas chief says during Iran visit

UPDATES WITH DETAILS, REVISES HEADLINE, LEDE, ADDS CHANGES

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for talks with Iranian officials on Israel’s deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip.

His visit came one day after the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

While Hamas welcomed the resolution, Israel rejected the cease-fire call and vowed to continue its war on the Palestinian enclave.

At a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Haniyeh said the UN resolution underscored Israel’s "unprecedented isolation.”

The Hamas leader said the UN resolution has shortcomings but is a testament to Palestine’s unwavering resistance.

Israel has “failed to achieve its military goals” in the besieged Gaza Strip “despite heavy expenses” and is now “losing political and international support,” Haniyeh said.

He praised the Palestinian resistance against “crimes and genocide” committed by Israel since last Oct. 7.

Haniyeh also thanked Iran for its support to the Palestinian people, adding that Palestine is going through a critical phase in its struggle against the Israeli occupation, calling it a “turning point.”

Hamas said early Tuesday that Haniyeh’s talks with Iranian officials would focus on Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza and the latest Palestinian developments.

Haniyeh’s last visit to Iran was last November when he held talks with senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Palestinian territory since a cross-border attack last Oct. 7 by Hamas which killed nearly 1,200 people.

At least 32,414 Palestinians have since been killed and 74,787 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war, now in its 172nd day, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the ICJ, which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.