Iranian Activists on the Anniversary of Hamas Attack: End the Madness of 'Death Merchants'

A group of Iranian activists, on the eve of the anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, issued a statement questioning the actions of Netanyahu's government over the past year, identifying themselves as the 'third voice' and emphasizing the necessity to avoid the escalation of war and to 'defend peace, freedom, and human dignity.' 135 activists, both inside and outside the country, stated in a statement received by Voice of America on Monday, October 8, that on the 'anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel,' Israel's attack 'by order of Netanyahu's government' on Gaza is considered 'a clear manifestation of genocide.' The statement reads: 'Following the assassination of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, the Israeli army's attack on southern Lebanon, and the Islamic Republic's missile strikes on Israel, the danger of war escalation has increased, and Iran may also become one of the centers and scenes of war.' These activists and human rights advocates referred to the 'bravado and adventures of the fundamentalists ruling Iran and their regional allies to destroy Israel,' labeling Israeli officials' remarks about a 'new order in the Middle East' as 'claims of Israeli fundamentalists' that, according to them, 'only invite strife, killing, and further destruction in the region.' The signatories of this statement also stated that neither the Islamic Republic's missile strikes nor the military attacks of groups known as the 'resistance axis' help the Palestinians, and 'neither do Israeli bombs bring peace, democracy, and freedom to Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.' According to the signatories, the Islamic Republic and the fundamentalist groups supporting it have 'taken the Palestinian demands hostage' through proxy wars in the region. These activists also accused the Israeli government of 'massacring in Gaza and Lebanon under the pretext of a new order' and stated that Netanyahu's government 'is expanding the war in the Middle East.' They asserted that 'supporting either side in the ongoing events in the Middle East is turning one's back on the people and harming human lives,' resulting in 'nothing but death and destruction.' The signatories of this statement, stating 'end the madness of death merchants,' said: 'As a third voice that, despite different intellectual horizons, opposes the warmongering and belligerence of both sides of this conflict, we call on the United Nations, member states, human rights organizations, and peace and democracy supporters in Iran, Israel, the region, and the world to increase pressure on all sides of the conflict and to work for an immediate ceasefire in the region to prevent the expansion of war to new fronts and to stop the war.' Activists including Ervand Abrahamian, Touraj Atabaki, Parvin Ardalan, Hassan Etemadi, Elahe Amiranzadeh, Mehdi Khanbabatehrani, Nira Tohidi, Taghi Rahmani, Hadi Khorsandi, Faraj Sarkouhi, Mansoureh Shojaei, Mahdieh Golroo, and Shirin Ebadi signed this statement. Following the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 (15 Mehr) last year during a music festival, at least 1,200 civilians, some of whom were citizens of other countries, were killed by Hamas militants, who are supported by the Islamic Republic, and more than 200 were taken hostage. The Israeli government has launched extensive operations against these groups over the past year with the aim of freeing hostages and stopping terrorist attacks by the Islamic Republic's proxy groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis in Yemen. News and human rights sources have reported that a number of civilians have been killed during these operations, with varying statistics on the death toll. During this time, many key members of Hamas and Hezbollah, including Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, and Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, have been eliminated, although Israeli officials have not taken responsibility for Haniyeh's death in Tehran. In contrast, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has launched hundreds of missiles towards Israel in two aerial operations, resulting in the deaths of an Arab Bedouin child and a Palestinian civilian. Many Iranian activists and citizens have emphasized that this 'is not a national, patriotic, or Iranian war,' but rather 'a war between Takfiri and terrorist groups and the Khamenei nation against Israel for its destruction,' and Iranians should not allow the Islamic Republic to 'destroy Iran's soil more than today.' In this context, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on the international community to condemn the Iranian government's support for terrorist groups.