Wang Yi calls for urgent action to end Gaza conflict
Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday the world must act urgently to calm the Israel-Hamas war as he hosted diplomats from Arab and Muslim-majority nations in Beijing. A delegation of foreign ministers of the Palestinian Authority, Indonesia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are in Beijing this week for talks aimed at a de-escalation of the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict. "Let us work together to quickly cool down the situation in Gaza and restore peace in the Middle East as soon as possible," Wang told ministers at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in the capital. "A humanitarian disaster is unfolding in Gaza," Wang told the delegates, including the secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. "The situation in Gaza affects all countries around the world, questioning the human sense of right and wrong and humanity's bottom line," he said. "The international community must act urgently, taking effective measures to prevent this tragedy from spreading," Beijing's top diplomat added. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas over October 7 attacks that it says killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and saw 240 hostages taken, in the worst-ever onslaught on the country. The Hamas government in Gaza says at least 13,000 people have been killed in Israel's relentless aerial bombardment and ground operations, thousands of them children. Wang told the diplomats on Monday that Beijing was "a good friend and brother of Arab and Muslim countries". "We have always firmly defended the legitimate rights and interests of Arab and Muslim countries, and have always firmly supported the Palestinian people's efforts to restore their legitimate national rights and interests," he said. "China firmly stands with justice and fairness in this conflict." Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Arabia's top diplomat, said Riyadh was "seeking more cooperation with our friends in China" with a view to "work towards ending this crisis and this grave situation as quickly as possible". (AFP)