People walk past destroyed buildings in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, on March 6, 2024. The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 30,717 with 72,156 others wounded, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a press statement on Wednesday.(Photo: Xinhua)

There is no distinction between noble and humble lives, and people should not be unfavorably labeled according to their race or religion. The failure to end the humanitarian disaster caused by the Palestinian-Israeli conflict today in the 21st century is a tragedy for humanity and a disgrace for civilization, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday.

Nothing justifies the protraction of the conflict, or the killing of the civilian population, Wang stressed when holding a press conference on Thursday on the sidelines of the second session of the 14th National People's Congress.

The current conflict has caused more than 100,000 civilian casualties, he noted.

The international community must act urgently to reach an immediate cease-fire and an end to the fighting an overriding priority, and to ensure that humanitarian assistance is an urgent moral imperative. The people of Gaza have a right to survive in this world, and the women and children deserve to be cared for by their loved ones, the Chinese foreign minister said.

The long occupation of the Palestinian territories and the long-cherished aspiration of the Palestinians for an independent state should not be ignored anymore. More importantly, the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinians must not be allowed to continue uncorrected generation after generation, Wang stated.

He called for restoring justice to the Palestinian people and fully implementing the two-State solution, which is the only way to break the vicious cycle of Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, to eliminate the breeding ground of extremist ideologies, and to realize enduring peace in the Middle East.

China firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights, and has always been committed to a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue, stated Wang.

"We support Palestine's bid to become a full member state of the United Nations and call on individual Security Council members to stop obstructing this process. We propose that a larger, more authoritative and more effective international peace conference be convened to draw up a road map and timetable for the implementation of the two-State solution. China will continue to work with the international community to restore peace, save lives and uphold justice," Wang said.

Global Times