China is willing to take the opportunity of the 2025 Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (MLC) Leaders' and Foreign Ministers' Meetings to further collaborate with the other five Mekong nations, strengthening all-round cooperation among the nations, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning at a press conference in Beijing on Monday.
An important comprehensive sub-regional cooperation framework, LMC was established in 2015 by six countries, namely China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The fifith MLC Leaders' Meeting will be held in Thailand, and the 10th MLC Foreign Ministers' Meeting in China this year.
"The fifth LMC Leaders' Meeting and the10th LMC Foreign Ministers' Meeting will be held later this year. China stands ready to work closely with the five Mekong countries to further improve and upgrade our cooperation across the board, and work for Lancang-Mekong Cooperation 2.0," said Mao.
"The six countries will continue to carry forward the spirit of 'development first, equal consultation, pragmatism and efficiency, and openness and inclusiveness', join hands to pursue modernization, actively forge a stronger Lancang-Mekong Economic Development Belt, build a closer community with a shared future among LMC countries and make LMC countries' contribution to regional peace and development with more stability," she said.
China ready to upgrade cooperation with other LMC nations: spokeswoman
The Israeli army conducted another wave of intense airstrikes on early Wednesday morning across multiple locations in the northern, eastern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip, including Gaza City and Khan Younis, according to local sources and eyewitnesses.
The Wednesday airstrikes came after Israel's attacks on the region one day before.
Casualties from Wednesday's attacks are still unclear.
A day earlier, Gaza-based health authorities said the airstrikes on Tuesday killed at least 413. The airstrikes occurred early Tuesday amid indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas regarding the next steps of a truce, which could include ending the war and releasing the remaining Israeli hostages. The strikes broke nearly two months of ceasefire and raised fears of fully reigniting the 17-month war.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet security service announced in a joint statement Tuesday afternoon that the Israeli security forces continue to attack what they call "terrorist targets" of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement throughout the Gaza Strip.
Among the targets attacked in recent hours were "terrorist cells, launch sites, weapons and additional military infrastructure" that were used by the "terrorist organizations" to plan and carry out "terrorist acts", and posed a threat to IDF forces and the citizens of Israel, according to the statement.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, however, the Israeli strikes targeted densely populated residential areas across the south, north and center of the Strip, as well as camps for displaced persons.
At least five senior officials and their families were among the dead, according to security sources in the Hamas government.
The officials killed in the renewed Israeli bombardment include Issam al-Daalis, a member of Hamas's political bureau and head of the Government Follow-up Committee in Gaza; Ahmed Omar al-Hatta, deputy minister of Hamas's justice ministry; Mahmoud Abu Watfa, Hamas's deputy interior minister; Bahjat Hassan Abu Sultan, director-general of Hamas's internal security service; and Abu Obeida al-Jamasi, a political bureau member and head of the emergency committee in Gaza, the sources said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Israel's renewed assault on Gaza is not "a one-day operation," adding that the initial decision to launch the attacks was made "several days ago."
Oren Marmorsteinm, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in an official statement Tuesday morning that the attacks aimed to achieve the war's objectives, including "the release of all our hostages, the dismantling of Hamas's military and governmental infrastructure, and the removal of the terrorist threat from Gaza to Israel's security and its citizens."
Israel will act against Hamas with "increasing military intensity" from this point forward, according to Marmorstein.
Israel carried out the strikes after Hamas refused to release hostages held in Gaza and rejected a truce deal proposed by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, said Marmorstein.
In a press statement, Hamas accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government of deliberately violating the ceasefire agreement and escalating the conflict.
"Netanyahu and his extremist government have decided to overturn the ceasefire and expose prisoners in Gaza to an unknown fate," Hamas said.
Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel will escalate its renewed assault on the Gaza Strip and that "from now on, the negotiations (on Gaza ceasefire) will take place only under fire."
Israel has returned to fighting with full force, Netanyahu said in a televised address, adding that Israel will act against Hamas with increasing intensity from now on.
Israel will continue fighting to achieve all the war's objectives -- freeing all our hostages, eliminating Hamas, and ensuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel, he said.
Netanyahu claimed that the overnight surprise attack was launched because Hamas rejected Israeli and U.S. proposals to extend the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal that ended on March 1. The proposals demanded prolonging the first phase and Hamas freeing additional hostages.
After Tuesday's deadly attacks, the Israeli army issued evacuation orders, prompting Palestinians to flee in chaos.
Israel carries out new airstrikes on Gaza early Wednesday
