3 Chinese nationals killed in Israel-Hamas conflict
Three Chinese nationals have been killed in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. "To my understanding it has currently been confirmed that three Chinese nationals were unfortunately killed in the conflict," Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters. In addition, he said, "two people are uncontactable and a number were injured". "We express our deepest condolences for the dead, and express our sincere sympathies for the families of the dead and for those who were injured," Wang said. "China's relevant diplomatic organisations abroad are currently engaging in all-out efforts to coordinate the rescue and treatment of those injured, and making arrangements for those who died," he added. "We urge external parties to put full effort into searching for and rescuing the uncontactable people, and take all effective measures to safeguard the safety of Chinese personnel and organisations," Wang said. Israel has launched an air campaign against militants in the Gaza Strip after Hamas carried out an assault on Israel on Saturday that killed more than 1,200 people. Around another 1,200 people have been killed in the Palestinian coastal enclave in the air strikes. Arab foreign ministers on Wednesday denounced Israel's siege of Gaza, demanding that aid be immediately allowed to enter the blockaded enclave. Beijing said on Thursday it "shared positions" on the conflict with the Arab states. "Both sides call for a ceasefire and an end to the fighting as soon as possible, condemn actions that harm civilians, and (call for) preventing the situation from escalating and causing a humanitarian disaster," Wang said. (AFP)