Chinese envoy meets Hamas leader Haniyeh 1st time since Oct. 7

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – In a first such meeting since the Oct. 7 cross-border Hamas raid and consequent Israeli war on Gaza, a Chinese Foreign Ministry envoy called on Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar, Beijing said on Tuesday.

In a brief statement, the Foreign Ministry said Ambassador Wang Kejian met the head of Hamas’ political bureau in Doha.

The two “exchanged views on the Gaza conflict and other issues,” the statement concluded.

It is the first known public contact between Beijing and the Palestinian resistance group that governs Gaza, since Oct. 7, when Israel launched a massive bombardment on the besieged coastal enclave following an attack by Hamas inside Israel.

After the Oct. 7 cross-border raid by Hamas that killed some 1,200 people, more than 31,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza, and over 73,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide, and guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.