Chinese envoy urges Israel to immediately cease military operations in Gaza

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday urged Israel to immediately cease all military operations in the Gaza Strip, as more than 10 months of blockade, siege, bombing, and attacks in Gaza have killed more than 40,000 people and displaced 1.9 million.

Some 80 percent of homes in Gaza have been destroyed, and 85 percent of the area is under emergency evacuation orders imposed by the Israeli military, said Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), in remarks at the UN Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

"Such a tragedy cannot go on any longer," he stressed.

While the international community has repeatedly sent clear calls for a ceasefire and an end to the fighting, "Israel has turned a deaf ear to them and has not shown any sign of a ceasefire," the ambassador said.

He noted that more than two months after the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2735, the Israeli military operations in Gaza continue causing new casualties every day. He warned that repeated provocative and adventurous actions by the Israeli side have intensified the risk of conflict spillovers, and "the Middle East is hanging by a thread."

Fu cautioned that "blind faith in achieving a total victory in Gaza" will only result in more innocent civilian casualties and will not create the conditions for the release of hostages, nor will it bring peace or tranquility to Israel and the region.

"Ceasefire negotiations and a political solution are the fundamental way out," he said.

The ambassador urged Israel to fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law by opening all border crossings, guaranteeing rapid and safe access to humanitarian supplies at scale, ceasing restrictions and attacks on the UN and humanitarian agencies, and providing support and cooperation for the polio vaccination program in Gaza.

Underscoring that sustainable security can only be achieved by upholding the concept of common security, he said regional peace must be built with the responsible participation of all parties.

"Achieving an independent Palestinian state and implementation of the two-state solution is the only viable way forward for the political settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli question," he said.

While urging Israel to immediately cease all military operations in Gaza, to immediately stop its actions that stoke escalation of the situation in the region, and to immediately end placing obstacles to a ceasefire in Gaza, the ambassador also urged "countries with significant influence" to demonstrate a sincere, impartial, and responsible attitude in pushing Israel to cease its military operations in Gaza as soon as possible and to stop the killing of civilians.

He stated that China supports the Security Council in taking further necessary actions to promote the implementation of the relevant resolutions and achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, and stands ready to work with the international community to make unremitting efforts to end the war in Gaza at an early date, alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe, implement the two-state solution, and achieve lasting peace and security in the Middle East.