China President attends BRICS summit on Israel-Palestine crisis

Chinese President, Xi Jinping, attended an extraordinary virtual summit of the BRICS group on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Tuesday at South Africa’s invitation, Beijing-based Xinhua News reported.

The virtual session was called by South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, to discuss intensifying Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency reports.

​​​​​​Since Israel started bombing Gaza after a surprise 7 October attack by the Palestinian group, Hamas, at least 13,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 9,000 women and children, and more than 30,000 others have been injured, according to the latest figures by Palestinian authorities.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.

An Israeli blockade has also cut Gaza off from fuel, electricity and water supplies and reduced aid deliveries to a small trickle.

The Israeli death toll is around 1,200, according to official figures.

WATCH: UN Secretary-General on Gaza: Killing of civilians is unparalleled and unprecedented