China's foreign minister said Monday during talks with his Israeli counterpart that "all countries" have the right to defend themselves, during the first direct conversation between top officials of the two governments since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October 7th.
"All countries have the right to defend themselves," Wang Yi told Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, according to a press release from his services in Beijing, stressing at the same time that "they must abide by international humanitarian law and protect the safety of civilians." .
Wang Yi promised that China would do "its best" to support efforts to bring about "peace."
More than 1.400 people have been killed in Israeli territory by Hamas militants since Oct. 7, the majority of them civilians, after the Palestinian Islamist movement launched its unprecedented offensive, according to Israeli authorities.
Hamas also took 222 hostages, Israelis and foreigners, according to the Israeli military. According to the same source, around 1.500 Hamas fighters were killed in the counterattack that allowed Israeli forces to regain control of the areas that were attacked.
In the Gaza Strip, more than 5.000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in relentless retaliatory shelling by the Israeli army, according to the Hamas health ministry in Gaza.
China's government has refrained from explicitly condemning the Hamas attack.
Washington says it hopes the friendship between Beijing and Tehran, which backs Hamas, will help de-escalate the conflict, even more so after China brokered an unexpected and impressive deal in March to restore diplomatic ties with Iran and of Saudi Arabia.
"The most urgent task now is to prevent the situation from worsening leading to an even more serious humanitarian disaster," Wang Yi noted to his Israeli counterpart.
He also reiterated the Chinese position on the Middle East, which is that only a two-state solution can end the conflict.
China "sincerely hopes that the Palestinian issue will be comprehensively and justly resolved on the basis of the 'two-state solution' and that the legitimate security concerns of all parties will be addressed in an authentic and thorough manner," he stated.
Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ-AFP