Shafaq News/ The Palestinian Presidency on Monday issued a strong rebuke to comments made by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, emphasizing that the Palestinian people are the primary victims of the ongoing Israeli conflict.

The statement came in response to Khamenei's recent remarks in which he stated, "This war has complicated matters at a sensitive moment when the enemy was striving to implement its plan for regional control. It was necessary for the region, and no one should pin their hopes on a ceasefire agreement in Gaza."

The Palestinian Presidency countered, highlighting the severe toll the conflict has taken since October 7. "The war has resulted in over 36,000 martyrs, approximately 83,000 injured, and widespread destruction of infrastructure including hospitals, schools, mosques, and churches. Thousands of citizens have been displaced, and hundreds of families eradicated," the statement said.

The Presidency criticized Khamenei's remarks, suggesting that they indicate a willingness to sacrifice Palestinian lives. "These declarations, which clearly indicate an intent to sacrifice Palestinian blood and the lives of thousands of children, women, and elderly people, and to destroy Palestinian land, will not lead to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital."

"The Palestinian people have been fighting for a hundred years and do not need wars that do not serve their aspirations for freedom and independence and the preservation of Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian holy sites," it said.

"What we seek is the end of the occupation and the realization of our independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, not policies that undermine Palestinian national goals of liberating Jerusalem and its holy sites and that devastate and displace the Palestinian people from the land they have struggled to maintain their identity on for generations," the statement added.

The Presidency also highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by the Palestinians. "We are in a continuous confrontation alone with the occupation and successive U.S. administrations that consistently use their veto power to prevent us from obtaining our legitimate rights. They attempt to exclude Jerusalem from the equation, providing weapons and money to sustain the occupation and prevent the Palestinian flag from being raised over Jerusalem and its holy sites."