China criticises Israel’s actions on Gaza in war with Hamas: ’Beyond scope of self-defense’
- China's foreign minister condemned Israel's actions for going 'beyond the scope of self-defense' and called for it to 'cease its collective punishment of the people of Gaza'
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has condemned the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas fighters. The war between Hamas Fighters and Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel has killed at least 2,670 people in Gaza, mainly civilians, and flattened entire neighbourhoods.
China's foreign minister condemned Israel's actions for going "beyond the scope of self-defence" and called for it to "cease its collective punishment of the people of Gaza".
"(Israel) should listen earnestly to the calls of the international community... and cease its collective punishment of the people of Gaza," Wang said Sunday as per AFP.
Notably this is China's strongest response to the conflict so far.
Western officials have criticised Beijing for not naming Hamas in statements on the Israel-Hamas war.
Wang spoke on Sunday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who called on China to use its "influence" in the Middle East to push for calm.
China has a warm relationship with Iran, where the clerical leadership supports both Hamas and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group that could open a second front against Israel.
This year, China brokered an entente between former regional foes Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Beijing's special envoy Zhai Jun will visit the Middle East this week to push for a ceasefire and peace talks, China's state broadcaster CCTV said on Sunday, without specifying which countries he would visit.
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The BRI summit would allow Beijing to frame attendance as a gesture of support for its position on the Israel-Hamas war, said an analyst to AFP. "Any head of state that attends the summit, it's almost as if they agree with Beijing's positions on these global issues," she said.
China began welcoming on Monday representatives of 130 countries for a conference that will be overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war, as an increasingly assertive Beijing is asked to help de-escalate the violence.
Israel-Hamas war: Latest update
Israeli forces kept up their bombardment of Gaza after diplomatic efforts to arrange a ceasefire to allow foreign citizens to leave and aid to be brought into the besieged Palestinian enclave failed.
More than a million people have fled their homes in the Gaza Strip ahead of an expected Israeli invasion that seeks to eliminate Hamas’ leadership after its deadly incursion.
The expected Israeli ground offensive and air strikes have raised fears of unprecedented suffering in the narrow, impoverished Gaza Strip. The fate of 4-year-old Fulla Al-Laham is just one of many heartbreaking examples: her grandmother said an air strike hit the family home, killing Fulla's parents, siblings and members of her extended family.
The war that began 7 October has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides, with more than 4,000 dead. The Gaza Health Ministry said 2,750 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 wounded. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, and at least 199 others, including children, were captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza, according to Israel.
(With agency inputs)
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Business NewsNewsWorldChina criticises Israel’s actions on Gaza in war with Hamas: ’Beyond scope of self-defense’
First Published:16 Oct 2023, 08:08 PM IST
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