(Bloomberg) — Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his call for an immediate cease-fire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in a summit organized by the BRICS group of nations.
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“China believes that the following is urgent and imperative: first the parties to the conflict must end hostilities and achieve a cease-fire immediately,” Xi said, addressing leaders from countries including Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa and Iran by video.
“More humanitarian assistance should be provided to the population in Gaza,” Xi said. “China will provide more supplies and assistance according to need of people in Gaza,” he said, while calling for a stop to forced relocations and a halt to water, electricity and oil supplies that “targets people in Gaza as a collective punishment”
Xi first called for an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war in October.
His latest remarks came after China hosted senior officials from mostly Middle Eastern nations on Monday for “in-depth” talks on deescalating the Israel-Hamas conflict, as Beijing tries to bolster its credentials as a global peacemaker.
The delegation, led by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, plans to visit Russia and the other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — France, the UK and the US — afterwards, according to Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, secretary-general of the Arab League.
The discussions in China were about “immediately stopping the military escalation” in Gaza and “delivering the necessary humanitarian aid to avoid the spread of the humanitarian catastrophe” there, according to Saudi state media.
The officials also reiterated calls for a two-state solution to achieve a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and other Arab states have grown increasingly critical of Israel as it escalated war against Hamas in Gaza. The militant group attacked Israel on Oct. 7 from Gaza, killing about 1,200 people. Israel’s since bombarded the Palestinian territory and launched a ground offensive, which the Hamas-run health ministry says has calimed more than 13,000 lives.
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