China: Israel-Hamas war, "shame on civilization"

2024-03-07 12:31:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

China has described the war in Gaza as a "disgrace to civilization" and called for an immediate ceasefire, as the conflict entered its sixth month despite efforts by mediators to broker a ceasefire.

US President Joe Biden has called on Hamas - the Palestinian group declared a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union - to accept a ceasefire plan with Israel before the start of the month of Ramadan.

However, mediators in Egypt have yet to overcome obstacles in their efforts to negotiate a pause in the fighting, while the United Nations has warned that Palestinians trapped by the fighting are facing starvation.

"It is a tragedy for humanity and a shame for civilization that today, in the 21st century, this humanitarian crisis cannot be stopped," China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a press conference in Beijing on March 7.

China, which has historically supported the Palestinian cause, has called for a ceasefire since the war began on October 7, when Hamas radicals attacked southern Israel.

"The international community must act urgently, prioritize an immediate ceasefire agreement and stop hostilities, and ensure that there is humanitarian aid as a moral responsibility," Wang said.

The war has destroyed large parts of the Gaza Strip and caused a humanitarian crisis for the 2.3 million inhabitants of this territory.

The Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry said 20 people had died of malnutrition and dehydration, half of them children.

The UN has said that only a limited amount of aid is reaching northern Gaza, where it has warned that hunger has reached "catastrophic levels".

The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, after Palestinian radicals killed nearly 1,200 people in southern Israel and kidnapped nearly 250 others.

Some hostages were released during a ceasefire in November. Israel believes 99 hostages are still alive in Gaza and another 31 are dead.

As a result of Israel's ground and air offensive, over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the Ministry of Health in the territory led by Hamas./ REL