'Collective punishment' of civilians must stop: China Daily editorial

Enough is enough. What began as a seemingly reasonable Israeli retaliation for Hamas' attacks on the Jewish state on Oct 7 has gone too far. Israel's military offensive in Gaza has become increasingly indiscriminate with the bombing of refugee camps, besieging of hospitals and turning of the Palestinian enclave into a living inferno with appalling humanitarian tragedies happening on a daily basis.

According to reports, Al-Quds Hospital, Gaza's second-largest hospital, was forced to shut down due to a lack of fuel and the ongoing Israeli siege, which led to difficulties operating the facility. Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest hospital, was bombed and surrounded by tanks, and even temporarily cut off from the outside world.

On Monday, Qatar's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the Israeli bombing of the headquarters of the Qatar Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, which was working to"alleviate the suffering of the population in the besieged Gaza Strip due to the long blockade and ongoing aggression".

Also on Monday, United Nations offices across the world observed a minute of silence with the UN flag flown at half-mast in honor of the more than 100 aid workers and UN agency employees killed in assisting Palestinian refugees in Gaza. Such a reckless and random offensive that makes no distinction between civilians and militants, and considers civilian life-support infrastructure a justified target for attack should be unconditionally condemned.

Israel should know its forces' blatant disregard of international law and the ensuing humanitarian catastrophe it has wrought are quickly eroding the sympathy for its losses suffered at the beginning of this round of conflict. Not to mention that its unrestrained retaliation also risks igniting a wider war in the Middle East.

Not only are Jewish settlers in the West Bank shooting to kill Palestinian civilians, Israel is fighting the Hezbollah on its northern border and bombing Syrian targets too. The spillover of the Israel-Palestine conflict is already happening. If the fighting continues it can be only a matter of time before more players become directly involved, painting an even bleaker picture for peace and stability in the Middle East.

The current round of conflict is dragging into a second month, but rather than there being an end in sight, the situation is worsening day by day. To prevent a greater humanitarian disaster, Israel should immediately lift the siege on Gaza's hospitals and completely remove restrictions on livelihood supplies to the enclave, especially fuel deliveries to humanitarian and medical institutions and livelihood facilities.

China has consistently called for a cease-fire and the scaling up of humanitarian assistance. It urges all parties, especially influential players and stakeholders in the region, to work together to persuade Israel to bring an end to its collective punishment of civilians in Gaza.