By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) – China on Friday refused to give a clear response to whether Beijing will hold talks with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
“China is in communication with all parties concerned in the Palestinian issue,” said Mao Ning, spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Beijing will “continue to make unremitting efforts to call on relevant parties to make joint efforts to push for an early cease-fire,” Mao said, according to Beijing-based daily Global Times.
China’s ambiguous statement came a day after representatives of Hamas held talks with Russian diplomats in Moscow.
Amid the ongoing armed conflict between Israel and Palestine, Beijing’s special envoy to Middle East, Zhai Jun, met officials in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
“Current situation between Palestine and Israel is grim. China is saddened by the large number of civilian casualties caused by the conflict and the deterioration of the humanitarian situation,” Zhai told Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji in Riyadh.
The conflict in Gaza began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood – a multi-pronged surprise attack on Oct. 7 that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air.
Hamas said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
The Israeli military then launched a relentless bombardment of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
Over 8,700 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 7,326 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.
Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been running out of food, water, medicine, and fuel, and aid convoys allowed into Gaza have carried only a fraction of what is needed.