Egypt on October 21 hosted a " peace summit" where UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for "swift action to end the terrible nightmare" after two weeks of fighting between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
Gaza area hit by Israeli airstrikes. Photo: Reuters
Beijing's special envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun, met with Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit on the sidelines of the summit. China's foreign ministry said in a statement that it called for "an immediate ceasefire and an end to fighting as soon as possible".
“China believes that force is not the way to solve problems and that responding to violence with violence will create a vicious cycle that will never end,” Zhai Jun said in the statement.
Hamas militants stormed Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, killing at least 1,400 people. Meanwhile, Israel's retaliatory bombing campaign has killed more than 4,600 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry .
China said on October 19 that it was “deeply disappointed” by the US decision to veto a UN Security Council resolution calling for a “humanitarian ceasefire” in the Israel-Hamas conflict. The US justified the veto by saying the text did not mention Israel’s right to self-defense.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also said it was important to prevent the conflict from spreading or even getting out of control and causing a serious humanitarian crisis, when he met Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli in Beijing on October 19.
Hoang Nam (according to Reuters)
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