China: Israel's actions in Gaza 'beyond scope of self-defence'

Israel’s action sin Gaza are “beyond the scope of self-defence”, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday.

He added that the Israeli government must “cease its collective punishment of the people of Gaza.”

In a call to his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal Bin Farhan, Wang said: “All parties should not take any action to escalate the situation and should return to the negotiating table as soon as possible.”

He also spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken by phone on Saturday and told him that “China calls for the convening of an international peace conference as soon as possible,” while warning that “the Palestinian-Israel conflict is escalating and risks getting out of control”.

Wang told Blinken that “China opposes all acts that harm civilians and condemns practices that violate international law”.

China’s Special Envoy on the Middle East, Zhai Jun, is due to visit the Middle East next week over the crisis in Gaza, state media CGTN reported today.

Israeli air raids have killed at least 2,329 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 9,714 others since 7 October, according to the territory’s Ministry of Health.

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