Deeply pained by extremely painful situation in Gaza: Chinese President Xi Jinping

AFP | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia  

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

President Xi Jinping told his Egyptian counterpart yesterday that China was “deeply pained” by the “extremely severe” situation in Gaza, as Beijing hosts Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and several other Arab leaders.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday that Israel needed a post-war plan as soon as possible after a senior Israeli official predicted that fighting in Gaza would last until the end of the year.

“In the absence of a plan for the day after, there won’t be a day after. And this is where we need to go, and (what) we need to get, as quickly as possible,” Blinken told reporters on a visit to Moldova.

Such a plan would ensure that Israel is not in control of Gaza’s security in the long term, he said. “If it is, it will simply have an enduring insurgency on his hands for as far as one can see into the future,” Blinken said.

‘Common voice’

The talks between Xi, Sisi and other Arab dignitaries in China this week are aimed at building consensus between Beijing and the Arab nations, as well as presenting a “common voice” on the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

China has good relations with Israel but has supported the Palestinian cause for decades and has campaigned for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“The current round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has caused a large number of innocent Palestinian civilian casualties and the humanitarian situation in Gaza is extremely severe.

China is deeply pained,” Xi told Sisi in Beijing, according to state broadcaster CCTV. “The top priority task now is an immediate ceasefire, in order to avoid spillover of conflict, impact on regional peace and stability, and so as to prevent a more serious humanitarian crisis,” Xi said.

Egypt, along with Qatar and the US, have been engaged for months in talks aimed at securing a lasting truce between Israel and Hamas, accompanied by the release of hostages kidnapped by the Palestinian group.

“China appreciates the important role played by Egypt in cooling down the situation and delivering humanitarian relief,” Xi said.

He said China was ready to work with Egypt to continue to assist the people of Gaza “and push for an early, comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue”.

United action

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday called on the “Islamic world” to take united action following the latest Israeli strikes on Gaza.

“I have some words to say to the Islamic world: what are you waiting for to take a common decision?” Erdogan told lawmakers from his AKP party, adding that “Israel is not just a threat to Gaza but to all of humanity.”

Casualties

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said yesterday that at least 36,171 people have been killed in the territory during more than seven months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants.

The toll includes at least 75 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 81,420 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7.