China reiterates call for ceasefire talks, political solution over Palestine

China's permanent envoy to the United Nations (UN), Fu Cong, has said that political resolution and ceasefire talks are the essential ways to resolve the Palestinian issue.

At the UN Security Council briefing on the Middle East situation, including the Palestinian question, Fu stated, "It must be noted that blind faith in achieving a total victory in Gaza will only result in more innocent civilian casualties and will not create the conditions for the release of hostages, nor will it bring peace or tranquilly to Israel and the region."

Israel, he added, has disregarded, and shown no signs of yielding to requests for a ceasefire and a halt to the war made by the UN Security Council, the International Court of Justice, and other members of the international community on multiple occasions.

According to Fu, Israeli military operations in Gaza are still going strong more than two months after Security Council Resolution 2735 was adopted, with fresh casualties occurring every day. He continued, "In the meantime, the risk of conflict spillovers has increased due to the Israeli side's repeated provocative and adventurous actions."

The Chinese diplomat emphasised that human rights concerns cannot be turned into political issues, hunger cannot be turned into a weapon, and civilian lives cannot be treated like cheap commodities.

He said that in order for Israel to meet its obligations under international humanitarian law, it must open all border crossings, ensure large-scale, safe, and timely access to humanitarian supplies, stop attacking and repressing the UN and other humanitarian organisations, and support and collaborate with the polio vaccination program in Gaza.

He went on to say that China calls on powerful nations to act in a serious, unbiased, and accountable manner in pressuring Israel to immediately end its military activities in Gaza and to stop killing civilians.

According to Fu, China is prepared to collaborate with the international community to make relentless efforts to bring an early end to the Gaza War, lessen the humanitarian crisis, carry out the two-state solution, and establish long-term peace and security in the Middle East.