China calls for immediate ‘sustained humanitarian truce’ in Israel-Hamas conflict

BEIJING, CHINA — China on Thursday called for a “sustained humanitarian truce” in the Israel-Hamas conflict in a position paper released by its foreign ministry.

“Parties to the conflict should… immediately realize a durable and sustained humanitarian truce,” the document said.

It called for a “comprehensive ceasefire and end of the fighting”.

And it urged the UN Security Council to send a “clear message” opposing the “forced transfer of the Palestinian civilian population” as well as “calling for the release of all civilians and hostages held captive”.

The body must also “demand that parties to the conflict exercise restraint to prevent the conflict from widening and uphold peace and stability in the Middle East”, it added.

China said last week it welcomed a truce between Israel and Hamas, which began Friday and led to dozens of hostages being freed and the release of more than 100 Palestinian prisoners.

READ MORE: War against Hamas will not stop after ceasefire — Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu

The truce, which is scheduled to end early Thursday, has brought a temporary halt to fighting that began on October 7 when Hamas militants poured over the border into Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 240, according to Israeli authorities.

Israel’s subsequent air and ground campaign in Gaza has killed nearly 15,000 people, also mostly civilians, according to Hamas officials, and reduced large parts of the north of the territory to rubble.

China has historically been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and supportive of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an “international peace conference” to resolve the fighting.

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