(MENAFN) Iran issued a sharp rebuke Monday following a deadly Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, calling the attack a "heinous crime" and accusing Israel of committing "genocide" against the Palestinian people.

At least 20 Palestinians, including five journalists, were killed and several others injured in the early-morning assault on the southern Gaza Strip's last partially operating medical facility.

This "brutal bombing was a war crime," declared Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, in an official statement. He accused Israel of orchestrating the attack as part of a broader plan with the intent of erasing Palestine both as a sovereign entity and as a cultural identity.

He condemned the relevant international organizations for their inaction in response to Israel's "flagrant violations of human and humanitarian rights in Gaza and the West Bank," calling it "disgraceful." He emphasized that all governments have a legal and moral duty to stop the "genocide" against Palestinians and hold Israeli "criminals" accountable.

He stressed that the international community bears both legal and moral responsibility to intervene. "All governments [must] stop the 'genocide' against Palestinians and punish Israeli 'criminals'," Baghaei added.

Nasser Hospital, now largely inoperable, had been serving as the last major medical lifeline in southern Gaza.

MENAFN26082025000045017169ID1109975095