Under a barrage of more than 3,000 rockets, hundreds of Hamas gunmen stormed into southern Israel from the Gaza Strip in the early hours of Oct. 7, on motorbikes, paragliders and four-wheel drives, unleashing unprecedented attacks on nearby towns and villages of Jewish settlers.

Hundreds of trained Palestinian militants appeared suddenly in the heart of Israeli settlements, killing and kidnapping soldiers and stunned residents as others cowered for hours in safe rooms until Israeli soldiers came to their rescue.

Fierce gun battles raged between Hamas fighters and Israeli occupation forces, in some cases for days, before Israeli forces finally took back control. Many traumatized survivors emerged only to find the bodies of others, neighbors and soldiers, strewn across their roads, gardens and fields.

In response to the attack, Israel has put Gaza, home to 2.3 million people, which was already the world largest open air prison, under siege. It launched the most devastating bombing campaign in the 75-year-old history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, destroying whole neighborhoods and killing more than 1,500 Palestinians, including more than 200 children, according to Gazan authorities.

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said that the continuation of crimes against Palestinians will receive a response from “the rest of the axis” and Israel will be responsible for the consequences.

Israel has been pounding Gaza in retaliation for a Hamas attack on Israel this week that has killed at least 1,300 people, the deadliest attack in Israeli history.

The Iranian minister said the displacement of Palestinians and cutting water and electricity to the Gaza Strip are considered war crimes.

“Some Western officials have questioned if there is an intention to open a new front against the Zionist entity,” he said, speaking through a translator, on television upon his arrival in Beirut. “Of course, in light of the continuation of these circumstances that are war crimes.

“The continuation of war crimes against Palestine and Gaza will receive a response from the rest of the axis,” he added. “And naturally, the Zionist entity and its supporters will be responsible for the consequences of that.”

He did not specify, but the Axis of Resistance refers to an alliance among Iran, Palestinian militant groups, Syria, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and other factions.