China urges Israel to cease military operations in Gaza

A Chinese envoy to the United Nations on Thursday urged Israel to stop its military offensive against Gaza and called for greater international efforts toward a two-state solution, emphasizing its necessity for lasting security of both Palestinians and Israelis.

Speaking at a Security Council meeting on Gaza at the UN headquarters, Sun Zhiqiang, counselor of the Chinese Permanent Mission to the United Nations, expressed deep concern over the escalating violence in the Palestinian enclave and the devastating toll of the 15-month conflict, which has left Gaza "unrecognizable" and inflicted "unimaginable" suffering on many people.

China sincerely hopes that all that suffering will come to an end, that all hostages and those held captive will be promptly released, and that peace will be restored in Gaza, Sun said.

He noted that the situation has taken a turn for the worse as Israel reignited hostilities in Gaza this week, which has led to the collapse of the ceasefire agreement and resulted in more suffering and deaths.

The reality has shown that achieving a permanent ceasefire is the best way to save lives and get the hostages home, he said.

"We urge Israel to abandon its obsession with the use of force and stop its military operation against Gaza. We hope that the guarantors of the ceasefire agreement will adopt a just and responsible attitude and take actions to promote the continuous implementation of the three-phased ceasefire towards a permanent ceasefire in Gaza," Sun told the Security Council.

The Chinese envoy highlighted the severe humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, where civilians are forcibly displaced and grappling with shortages of essential supplies. He warned that the Israeli blockade, which has restricted the entry of humanitarian aid, could also deprive the remaining hostages of their needs to survive.

Sun urged Israel to fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law, immediately lift the blockade, and fully restore access for humanitarian aid into Gaza. He also reiterated China's opposition to any attacks targeting UN personnel and humanitarian workers.

Emphasizing the equal value of all lives, Sun reaffirmed China's support for the two-state solution as the only viable path to lasting peace and security.

"The life of every individual is precious. The Palestinian people and the Israeli people have equal rights to survival and development. The decades-long cycles of Palestine-Israel conflict have caused generations on both sides to live under the shadow. Only by fully implementing the two-State solution and achieving the independent statehood of Palestine and achieving peaceful coexistence between the two states of Palestine and Israel, can we ensure the lasting security and well-being of the Palestinians and Israelis," he said.

China urges Israel to cease military operations in Gaza

China urges Israel to cease military operations in Gaza

Israel's renewed military offensive in Gaza on Tuesday resulted in what the UN called the "largest single-day child death toll in the last year", leaving the loved ones of the young victims and medical workers in the enclave stunned and horrified.

Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed since Israel intensified its attacks on the Gaza Strip this week, with more than 130 children being killed on Tuesday, according to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Hundreds more children have been injured, with many believed to be still missing beneath the rubble of their destroyed homes.

The home of the Al-Batniji family, who had recently returned to Gaza City after being displaced in the south, was targeted by an Israeli airstrike. The family is now desperately searching for their surviving children.

"I was bathing my child after heating the water, when we suddenly heard an explosion. We had nothing [left] with us. My son Mu'ayyad was with me. This is my daughter -- she is the only one who survived the attack. My four children were killed in two previous bombings, and this is the third time," Um Ahmed Al-batniji, a distraught woman holding a baby tight in her arms, told China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Friday.

The women of the Al-Batniji family were left stunned by the sudden Israeli bombing of their home, which left them no time to rescue their children who were playing in the courtyard.

"The children were playing here when we suddenly heard the shelling. Some of our children were killed and the others were badly injured. At the beginning of the conflict, we survived a massacre in Shuja'iyya, where many of our family members were killed. My children who were killed today survived that previous attack," said Um Muhammad Al-batniji, another survivor.

Children make up nearly half of the Gaza Strip's population and are enduring extremely dire conditions due to ongoing Israeli shelling. They, together with women, have accounted for the largest percentage of casualties in the conflict.

Following the latest Israeli attacks, the number of child victims at the few hospitals that are still running in the strip has reached record levels.

"We have received a large number of injuries, most of them children. The nature of the injuries was fatal, especially for children, as their small bodies cannot withstand this amount of explosives and the brutality of the bombing," said Ahmed Radi, an emergency physician.

UNICEF issued a statement describing the reports and images emerging from the Gaza Strip after the attacks as "beyond horrifying" as one million children in Gaza have once again been plunged into a world of fear and death.

Heavy child casualties from Israel's renewed attacks in Gaza leaves survivors, medics horrified