Iran hails Gaza ceasefire as victory for Palestinians

Iran on Thursday welcomed the Gaza ceasefire deal and labeled it as a "victory" for Palestinians and a "defeat" for the Israeli Occupation.

Hundreds of Iranians gathered late Thursday in major cities including the capital Tehran and Tabriz in the northwest to celebrate the news, state media said.

The long-awaited agreement, as announced late Wednesday by mediators Qatar and the United States, would take effect on Sunday and involve the initial exchange of “Israeli” captives for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a broader deal would be finalized.

Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hailed Palestinian "resistance" after the truce announcement to halt more than 15 months of aggression, saying "the patience of the people of Gaza and the steadfastness of the Palestinian resistance forced the Zionist regime to retreat."

He added that the Israeli Occupation was "defeated" after committing "the most heinous crimes, killing thousands of women and children" during its military campaign in Gaza.

Iran's foreign ministry called for the "full implementation of the agreed arrangements including the complete cessation of genocide and killings in Gaza, the complete withdrawal of the occupiers, the immediate and extended aid delivery to the Gaza Strip".

It also called for "the immediate start of the reconstruction" of Gaza.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) similarly praised the ceasefire agreement as a win for the Palestinians.

"The end of the war and the imposition of a ceasefire... is a clear victory and a great victory for Palestine, as well as a larger defeat for the monstrous Zionist regime," force said in a statement.

It also warned of the "possible breach of the pact" by “Israel” and said Iranian forces were preparing to potentially "deal with war and new crimes".

Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohjerani called on the "international community to properly play its role" in punishing the Israeli Occupation for the "genocide" and crimes it had committed against Palestinians.

Iran's parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also welcomed the truce, stating that it caused the "Zionist regime to fail in achieving its strategic goals".

He called for actions to "punish the criminal regime and heal the wounds of the Palestinian nation".

According to Iranian state TV, jubilant crowds of protesters who took to the streets on Thursday evening waved Palestinian flags and the yellow banner of Lebanese group Hezbollah, which is backed by Tehran and had fought against “Israel” too.

Celebratory music blared in Tehran's Palestine Square, with crowds there chanting "death to America" and "death to Israel".

Iran does not recognise “Israel” and the two countries have been sworn enemies for decades.

The Gaza aggression, which broke out in October 2023, drew in Tehran-aligned proxies in the Middle East, and included rare direct attacks between Iran and “Israel”.