China’s special envoy on Middle East affairs on Saturday, October 14, called for a ceasefire between Palestine and Israel to create conditions for peace talks as the week-long Palestinian-Israel conflict has caused heavy casualties.
Zhai Jun, special envoy of the Chinese government on the Middle East issue, said China is saddened by the increasing tension between Palestine and Israel. He said the Chinese side opposes harming civilians and condemns practices that violate international law.
“China always believes that use of force is never a solution, and responding to violence with violence will only lead to a vicious cycle of retaliation, creating more obstacles for political settlements. Only by instantly stopping the fight, ending violence and defusing tension can necessary conditions be created for a political solution,” Zhang said.
“The international community must take immediate action and urge all relevant parties to strictly abide by international humanitarian law, open up humanitarian channels as soon as possible, and do everything possible to avoid serious humanitarian disaster,” he said.
Zhai pointed out now the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is expanding with the spillover of the flames of war impacting regional and international security as fighting descended on the borders between Israel and Lebanon, as well as between Israel and Syria outside Gaza.
The international community must be on high alert, and work together to prevent it from spiraling out of control based the principle of objectivity and fairness, the envoy said.
He emphasized that the United Nations as the most authoritative international organization must play its due role, and the Security Council must bear its responsibility of maintaining world peace and security.
“The contemporary Palestinian-Israeli issue started with the 1947 United Nations partition resolution, so resolving the Palestinian question hinges on relevant resolutions passed by the United Nations over the past 70 years,” he said.
“As a permanent member of the Security Council, China will continue to support the United Nations in leading mediation and providing humanitarian assistance, and strive to ease the tension at an early date,” he said.
Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israeli towns adjacent to the Gaza Strip last Saturday with a barrage of rockets in the deadliest attack on the country in decades, prompting Israel to launch retaliatory air strikes on Gaza and cut off its food, fuel, and other supplies.
The Israel-Hamas conflict, as it entered the eighth day, has pushed the Palestinian death toll to 2,215, with 8,714 injuries, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, the Israeli fatalities since October 7 had reached 1,300, while nearly 3,400 were injured, Israeli media reported on Friday, citing official sources.
(Input from Reuters)