By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) – China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke to counterparts from Palestine and Israel and stressed Beijing’s position on a two-state solution to end the lingering conflict in the Middle East.
“What the people of Gaza need most is security, food and medicine rather than war, weapons, and ammunition,” Wang told Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki.
According to China’s Foreign Ministry, Wang held separate phone calls with Al-Maliki and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen late on Monday.
Expressing sympathy with people in Gaza, Wang said: “What the Gaza Strip needs most is efforts to end the war and promote peace, not geopolitical calculations.”
Israel has received more than 1,000 tons of arms and ammunition, including from the US, since Oct. 7 when it launched an armed assault on Gaza.
Wang said the two-state solution "is the only way to solve the Palestinian issues."
He reiterated China's suggestion that a "more authoritative, more wide-ranging and more effective" international peace conference on Palestine be convened as soon as possible to promote the early resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel and "formulate a specific timetable and roadmap."
Acknowledging that all countries “have the right to self-defense,” Wang, however, told Cohen: “But they should respect the international humanitarian law and protect the safety of civilians.”
“China does not pursue any selfish interests on the Palestinian issue and sincerely hopes that the issue can be comprehensively and fairly resolved on the basis of a two-state solution,” he said.
Wang’s phone call with his Palestinian and Israeli counterparts came while Israeli attacks overnight killed at least 120 Palestinians, including women and children, in various parts of the Gaza Strip.
As Israel’s armed offensive against Gaza entered the 18th day on Tuesday, the death toll in the besieged Palestinian enclave climbed to over 5,200.
The fatalities include over 2,055 children and 1,119 women. More than 15,273 people were also injured in the Israeli attacks.
The conflict in Gaza, which has been under Israeli bombardment and a blockade since Oct. 7, began when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea and air.
It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed in Hamas attacks since Oct. 7, according to Israeli authorities.