Iran made extensive efforts on Thursday to portray Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist factions as victorious in the Gaza war, referring to the expected cease-fire agreement to be signed today as a "defeat for Israel."
Amid the severe blows Tehran and its allies suffered in recent months, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei claimed that history would remember Israel as a murderer of women and children.
"History books will say there was a group that murdered thousands of children and women in Gaza! Nevertheless, in the end, everyone will understand that the steadfastness of the Palestinian people, the Palestinian resistance and the resistance front forced the Zionist entity to retreat," he wrote on X in Hebrew.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps praised the cease-fire agreement, describing it as a "victory" for the Palestinians and a "defeat" for Israel: "The end of the war and the imposition of a cease-fire are a clear and great victory for Palestine and an even greater defeat for the monstrous Zionist regime," the statement read.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf added that the agreement "prevented the Zionist regime from achieving its strategic goal." He called for action to "punish the Zionist regime and heal the wounds of the Palestinian nation."
During the first year of the war, Iran exhibited great confidence in its power, appearing at times to achieve a significant strategic victory through the "ring of fire" it established around Israel, which was operated from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Gaza and the West Bank following the October 7 attack.
However, Iran has since suffered a series of setbacks. The massive Israeli assault on Lebanon decimated much of Hezbollah’s strength, pro-Iranian militias in Iraq decided to cease fire and Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria was overthrown.
Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran was a particularly humiliating blow for Iran. Israel’s extensive airstrike campaign, which incapacitated its defense systems following Iran's direct missile launches at Israel, has also left Iran exposed to future attacks and is now seen as greatly weakened. Against this backdrop, Iran is set to sign a strategic partnership agreement with Russia in Moscow on Friday.
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China, an ally of both Iran and Russia, joined the nations welcoming the cease-fire agreement on Thursday. Beijing’s Foreign Ministry said that China hopes the agreement will be effectively implemented and lead to a full and lasting cease-fire in Gaza. The ministry also expressed hope that the relevant parties would use the agreement to promote de-escalation in the region.