Younes Hamami Lalehzar, a prominent leader of Iran’s Jewish community and vocal critic of Israel, issued a sharp statement denouncing the Jewish state and urging global pressure against it on Tuesday.
In a letter, he accused Israel of “starving Gaza’s residents” by blocking humanitarian aid and food, while completely omitting the plight of hostages held in Hamas tunnels for 668 days. Some suggest his words may reflect pressure from Tehran’s regime rather than his personal views.
In the letter, Hamami wrote, “The Zionist regime, this time through starvation and denying sufficient humanitarian aid and food, has sentenced people waiting for food to death, continuing to kill the current and future generations of the Palestinian people.”
He invoked Jewish teachings to condemn Israel, saying, “I denounce this action, which contradicts the sacred Torah’s teachings. Faith in God compels us to say so.”
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He continued, without mentioning the hostages, “I declare to my brothers and all freedom seekers worldwide that we must voice our stance in international forums and organizations to press for an immediate end to the blockade and the denial of food and medicine to Gaza.”
His anti-Israel rhetoric aligns with Hamami’s prior statements since the October 7 massacre. In a March interview on Iran’s Channel 3, he said, “The Zionists and Israel’s government commit war crimes, killing innocents in Gaza and Lebanon. Zionists don’t represent Judaism, and Zionism is like ISIS, committing violence in the name of Islam.”
Last October, Hamami praised Iran’s launch of 181 missiles at Israel, saying, “It’s a matter of great pride and honor that the guardians and armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, following the supreme leader’s orders, powerfully defended our dear country’s territorial integrity in response to the Zionist regime’s unreasonable audacity.”