China has expressed that Israel is engaged in activities 'outside the realm of self-defense.'

 

M.AMINUR RAHMAN

Israel's actions in Gaza have gone "beyond the scope of self-defense" and the Israeli government must "stop the collective punishment of the people of Gaza," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in comments published on Sunday.

Wang's comments, made in a call with his Saudi Arabian counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Saturday, came as Israel appeared ready for a ground offensive against Hamas militants in Gaza.

"Israel's actions went beyond the scope of self-defense," Wang said, according to a Foreign Ministry readout.

"The calls of the international community and the UN secretary-general should be listened to earnestly and the collective punishment of the people of Gaza should stop," he added, adding that China has so far expressed a tough stance on the conflict.

More than a million people in the northern part of the crowded enclave have been ordered to flee ahead of the expected attack, an exodus that aid groups say will trigger a humanitarian disaster.

The shrunken and impoverished region, where 2.3 million residents live on top of each other, has been under a land, air and sea blockade since 2006.

After Hamas fighters breached the heavily guarded border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, gunning, stabbing and burning more than 1,300 people, Israel launched massive retaliatory bombings targeting the Islamist group that killed more than 2,200 people in Gaza.

Most of the casualties on both sides were civilians.

Wang told Prince Faisal that "all sides should not take any steps to escalate the situation and return to the negotiating table as soon as possible."

Wang Yi said in a separate call with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Saturday that Washington should play a "constructive and responsible role" in the conflict and "called for an international peace meeting to be convened as soon as possible. Broad consensus".

Fear of spillover

China's official statement on the conflict did not specifically name Hamas in its condemnation of the violence, leading to criticism from some Western officials who said they were too weak.

China's special envoy Zhai Jun will visit the Middle East next week to promote a ceasefire and peace talks in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the country's state broadcaster CCTV said on Sunday.

CCTV said in a video posted on its official social media account on Sunday that Zhai "will visit the Middle East next week to coordinate with various parties for a ceasefire, protect civilians, ease the situation and hold peace talks."

In an interview with CCTV, Zhai said that "the possibility of further expansion and outward spillover (of the conflict) is deeply worrying", according to the broadcaster.

A Foreign Ministry statement said Zhai met Arab League representatives in China on Friday and said Beijing supported the regional group in "playing an important role on the Palestine issue".

He told the bloc that Beijing would make "unremitting efforts to get the Middle East peace process back on track", the statement added.