Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday that Israeli actions in Gaza after the Hamas attack "exceed the limits of self-defense", and the Israeli government should stop the "collective punishment" of the residents of the Strip.

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Edited by| Hugh Gey

 

Politic section -  CJ journalist

 

Beijing - October,15,2023

 

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A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said on Sunday that Wang told his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan on Saturday that what "Israel is doing exceeds the limits of self-defense", and its leaders should stop "collective punishment of the residents of Gaza".

"China should seriously listen to the appeals of the international community and the secretary-general of the United Nations," Guterres said, in the strongest position since the start of the conflict.

Israel has ordered more than a million people in the northern part of the strip to leave ahead of an expected ground offensive, in a mass exodus that aid organizations said would cause a humanitarian disaster. The Gaza Strip, where 2.3 million people live, has been under a land, air and sea blockade since 2006.

More than 1,300 people were killed following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 07, and at least 120 people were taken hostage, according to Israeli officials. The Israeli response led to the death of more than 2,300 people, including more than 700 children, in the Gaza Strip.

"The parties should not take any action that would lead to an escalation of the situation," Wang Yi noted, calling for the start of "negotiations".

In a separate phone call with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Yi said Washington should "play a constructive and responsible role" in the conflict and called for an "international peace meeting as soon as possible" to try to reach a ceasefire and launch peace talks.

Chinese official statements linked to the conflict did not specifically mention Hamas in its condemnation of the violence, which provoked criticism from some Western officials who said that the Chinese condemnation was too weak.

Earlier on Sunday, the Chinese state television station "CCTV" announced that Chinese envoy to the Middle East Zhai Jun will visit the region next week in an attempt to reach a ceasefire and launch peace talks.

The station said in a video posted on its official social media account on Sunday that Chai "will visit the Middle East next week to coordinate with various parties in order to reach a ceasefire, protect civilians, de-escalate the situation and push for peace talks".

Chai said in an interview with CCTV that "the possibility of the expansion of the (conflict) and its spread abroad is worrying," according to the TV channel.

On Friday, Xi met with representatives of the Arab League in China. He said Beijing supports the regional group "to play an important role in the Palestinian issue," according to a foreign ministry statement.

The statement added that Chai informed the group that Beijing"will make unremitting efforts to put the Middle East peace process back on track".