“China firmly calls on Israel to heed the various requests of the international community, stop attacking Rafah and do everything in its power to prevent a more serious humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian.
The Israeli army carried out attacks in Rafah, on the southern edge of the besieged Gaza Strip, on Monday night. Israel is trying to increase the “pressure” on Hamas a few hours before new talks in Cairo, scheduled for today, in an attempt to influence a truce agreement to which the Islamist movement has given the green light.
After claiming for weeks that it was planning a ground offensive in Rafah, Israel on Monday called on Palestinians in the east of the town to withdraw from the area, as a prelude to a “ground operation”.
Eleven people were killed and dozens injured in the Israeli attacks, according to the Kuwaiti hospital in Rafah.
The Israeli army announced today that ground troops had begun a “targeted anti-terrorist operation” in the eastern part of Rafah.
Beijing “expresses its deep concern over Israel’s plan to launch a military ground operation against Rafah,” Chinese diplomacy said.
“War and violence cannot fundamentally solve the problem and cannot lead to real security,” Lin added.
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