Israeli soldiers patrol outside the northern Gaza Strip
Israeli soldiers patrol outside the northern Gaza Strip July 29, 2014. Israel's military pounded targets in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country should prepare for a long conflict in the Palestinian enclave, squashing any hopes of a swift end to 22 days of fighting. Israel launched its offensive on July 8 with the aim of halting rocket attacks by Hamas and its allies. It later ordered a land invasion to find and destroy the warren of Hamas tunnels that criss-crosses the border area. Reuters

A national leader from Iran has asked the Muslims to supply arms to Palestine so that Hamas can fight Israel well.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Israel a "rapacious wolf" and "rabid dog" as it killed innocent people in Gaza. He called it genocide by Israel on the people of Palestine. Khamenei was talking on the occasion of Eid, the biggest Muslim festival in the world. He harshly criticised Europe and the United States that, according to him, attempted limiting the military capability of Palestinian rebels.

Khamenei delivered his speech to thousands of people in Tehran. The speech was also shown live on the national television. Khamenei was particularly strong in his words against Israel. "This rabid dog, this rapacious wolf, has attacked innocent people and humanity must show a reaction," he said, "This is genocide, a catastrophe of historical scale."

Israel, meanwhile, destroyed the power plant in Gaza. So far, there have been more than 1,200 casualties which majorly include civilians. Additionally, there are around 6,700 Palestine people injured during the Israeli offensive in the last 22 days. Hamas leader Mohammad Deif earlier dismissed any possibility of a ceasefire. On the contrary, she said that Hamas fighters were "eager for death."

Khamenei accused U.S. President Barack Obama of disarming Hamas. "They have been pounding innocent people day and night and these men women and children are defending themselves with minimum means, and now Americans and Europeans want to take even that away, Khamenei said, "So that those merciless beasts could pound without qualm." The Supreme Leader said that the Islamic world should "arm" Palestine. The Zionist government started the war, he said, but there would "no way out" for them now.

All efforts to broker a ceasefire in the battling region have so far proved to be futile. Both Israel and Hamas has shown disrespect to each other's individual declaration of truce. Though in less severity, there were firing even on the occasion of Eid considered to be a festival of happiness among Muslims.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au