TEHRAN -- The chief of the 
Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement says late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and former Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian played a major role in victories scored by the resistance factions.
“Martyr Raisi and Martyr Amir-Abdollahian scored significant gains for the resistance and the region and brought the positions of various countries closer to Palestine,” Ziad al-Nakhaleh said at a ceremony here on Thursday.
“This was a gain for Palestine and the entire region,” he told the event to mark the 40th day since the passing of President Raisi in a helicopter crash, hailing the country for taking the upheaval in its stride with fortitude and composure.  
Referring to Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, Nakhaleh said President Raisi defended Palestine in all international forums, adding his statements are still “effective.”
“We will not forget the positions of the Iranian president and his martyred foreign minister in support of Palestine,” he added.
The helicopter carrying president Raisi and his entourage crashed on its way to Tabriz, the capital of Iran’s East Azarbaijan province.
Amir-Abdollahian along with Friday Prayers leader of Tabriz Muhammad Ali Al-e Hashem, and Malek Rahmati, the governor of East Azarbaijan Province, as well as crew members and a bodyguard also lost their lives in the crash.
The incident engulfed Iran in shock and grief and generated a groundswell of support and solidarity from Muslims and non-Muslims across the world.
Nakhaleh thanked Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and Iran’s officials and nation for their unflinching support for the Palestinian people and resistance.
“God willing, we will continue together towards the victory of Al-Quds and Palestine,” al-Nakhaleh added.