Never let flames of war reignite in Gaza: Top Chinese top diplomat tells UN chief

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said “flames of war” should not be let "re-ignited" in the Palestinian besieged enclave of Gaza.

Discussing the humanitarian pause in Gaza with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Tuesday, Wang said: “China has always firmly stood on the side of peace, human conscience, and international law in the Palestine-Israel conflict.”

Wang also extended Beijing’s support to the UN chief in “playing a unique and irreplaceable role in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” according to an official statement and state media.

The top Chinese diplomat will chair a high-level meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the Palestine question on Wednesday. China is the current rotating chair of the Security Council.

“The key issue now lies in whether the temporary ceasefire agreement can be extended,” Wang said.

Wang's discussions with the UN chief come as reports suggest talks are underway in Qatar on a new agreement for a long-term humanitarian pause in fighting in Gaza.

He said China’s position is to “never let the flames of war reignite” while a “comprehensive ceasefire” should be achieved in Gaza.

Emphasizing that humanitarian supplies should be allowed to enter Gaza “unimpeded,” Wang said more crossing points into Gaza should be opened.

“An effective supervision mechanism should be established,” he said, calling for the release of detainees.

For solving the conflict, Wang reiterated the demand for "a more authoritative, larger-scale and more effective international peace conference to be convened as soon as possible" to formulate a roadmap for restarting the "two-state solution."

An agreement on a four-day humanitarian pause between Israel and Palestinian resistance group Hamas was reached last week which was extended by two more days until Wednesday, to carry out prisoner exchanges.

So far, 180 Palestinians and 62 Israelis have been released by the two sides during the humanitarian pause.

Israel launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

It has since killed over 15,000 people, including 6,150 children and 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.