Tabriz: The Israelis are strategically on the losing side, which explains their reluctance to end the ongoing conflict, said Hossein Jaberi Ansari, the managing director of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). Addressing a specialized seminar titled “Was October 7 Worth It?” in the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz on Thursday, Jaberi Ansari, also a noted expert on Palestinian affairs, stated, ‘When a nation is left with no other options and no glimmer of hope in peace or conventional warfare, resistance becomes their natural response. October 7 was a natural reaction from the people of an occupied land.’
According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Jaberi Ansari highlighted the resilience of the Palestinian people, noting that despite decades of displacement, with around seven million Palestinians living as refugees, over 95% remain committed to returning to their homeland, and all consider themselves an integral part of the Palestinian nation deprived of its rights. He criticized the blockade of Gaza,
describing it as the largest open-air prison in the world. ‘These oppressed but resilient people have achieved remarkable feats with minimal resources,’ he said.
Jaberi Ansari also remarked that Palestinian resistance will become a key subject in military academies worldwide for decades. ‘No greater example exists of a people surrounded by land, sea, and air blockade, creating a moment as pivotal as October 7,’ he added.
According to Jaberi Ansari, the events of October 7 disrupted Israel’s normalization efforts under the Abraham Accords, a project aimed at establishing Israel as a regional power replacing the US. ‘Gaza does not end but rather it is the starting point for the liberation of Quds,’ he declared. He concluded by emphasizing that the Palestinian issue has risen from obscurity to global prominence since October 7, adding, ‘Israel has tried everything short of nuclear weapons, knowing it would harm its geographical existence as well.’
