Birds fly as smoke billows following an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on Oct. 10, 2023. The conflict has taken a heavy toll on both sides. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported on Tuesday that the death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza has risen to 900, with 4,500 injuries. Meanwhile, at least 1,008 individuals have been killed in Israel since Saturday, as reported by Israel's state-owned Kan TV news. Photo:Xinhua

China opposes any party's actions that harm innocent civilians and calls for the implementation of Palestinian people's right to establish their own state, China's top diplomat Wang Yi told Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in respective phone calls on Sunday in an effort to help cool down the Palestine-Israel conflict.

Both Amir-Abdollahian and Fidan expressed deep concerns over the escalating situation in the Middle East and over the attacks on the innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip, hoping to enhance talks and work with the Chinese side to achieve long regional peace through a political solution.

The exercise of the right to self-defense should comply with international law and international humanitarian law, including protecting civilians and detainees, rather than coming at the expense of innocent civilians, Wang said.

Wang said the current top priority is to de-escalate the situation to avoid a severe humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip and the casualties of more innocent civilians before it further jeopardizes the Middle East peace process.

China supports Islamic countries to strengthen unity and coordination on the Palestine issue and speak with one voice, Wang told Amir-Abdollahian, adding that the international community should take action to oppose any party's actions that harm civilians. 

The only way to solve the Palestinian issue is to ensure the effective implementation of the two-state solution and China is currently communicating and coordinating with relevant parties to avoid the escalation of the conflict and humanitarian disasters, Wang told Fidan, noting that China will continue to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip through the United Nations and other bilateral channels. 

In a phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on Saturday, Wang said Israel's actions have gone beyond the scope of self-defense, expressing concerns about the escalating Israel-Palestine conflict as Israel ordered one million people from the northern part of Gaza to evacuate within 24 hours as it prepared for a ground assault. 

On the same day, Wang noted in a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that when dealing with international regional hotspot issues, major powers should adhere to objectivity and impartiality, maintain calm and restraint and take the lead in abiding by international law.


Global Times