Chinese envoy warns against possible Israeli occupation of entire Gaza

UNITED NATIONS - A Chinese envoy on Tuesday warned against possible Israeli occupation of the entire Gaza Strip.

Recent media reports indicate that Israel has decided to escalate its military offensive and fully occupy Gaza. China expresses its grave concern about this, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

"We urge Israel to immediately halt such dangerous actions. We urge all parties to promptly reach a binding and sustainable ceasefire agreement. We further urge countries with significant influence over the parties concerned to act in a just and responsible manner and take concrete steps to help bring about a ceasefire," he told the Security Council.

Israel's military operations have resulted in the deaths of over 60,000 civilians in Gaza, with innocent lives still being lost every day. The harsh reality has shown that military means are not a solution and that an immediate ceasefire is the right path to saving lives and bringing hostages home, he said.

The 2 million innocent civilians in Gaza should not be victims of war, nor should they endure further suffering from manmade disasters. Under the current extreme blockade and siege, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza continues to worsen with severe famine looming large, said Geng.

Restricting humanitarian access will only further exacerbate the collective punishment of people in Gaza and make it harder for surviving hostages to access life-saving supplies. Israel must comply with international law, especially international humanitarian law, fully restore humanitarian access and support humanitarian agencies such as the United Nations in delivering aid, he said.

Fully implementing the two-state solution and achieving an independent state of Palestine is the only viable path to resolving the Palestinian question and preventing the recurrence of similar hostage crises. The international community should jointly oppose unilateral actions that undermine the foundation of the two-state solution and intensify efforts to advance the political process toward its realization, said Geng.

China will continue to work with the international community to end the fighting in Gaza, alleviate humanitarian suffering, implement the two-state solution, and ultimately achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question, he said.