Beijing: Israel is acting beyond the limits of self-defense

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated on Sunday that Israeli actions in Gaza following the Hamas attack "go beyond the boundaries of self-defense." 

He called on the Israeli government to cease "collective punishment" of Gaza's residents.

A statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry quoted Wang as saying during a conversation with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, on Saturday that what Israel is doing "exceeds the limits of self-defense," and its leaders should cease the "collective punishment of Gaza's residents."

In a significant shift, Wang emphasized that "Israel must seriously heed the calls of the international community and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres."

Israel issued orders for over one million people in the northern part of the Gaza Strip to evacuate before an anticipated ground assault, a mass displacement described by relief organizations as a humanitarian catastrophe.

The Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million people, has been under land, sea, and air blockade since 2006.

Following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, more than 1,300 people have been killed, and at least 120 have been taken hostage, according to Israeli officials. Israel's response has resulted in the deaths of over 2,300 people, including more than 700 children, in Gaza.

Wang Yi pointed out that "all parties must refrain from actions that could escalate the situation" and called for "negotiations" to commence.

Furthermore, Wang, in a separate phone call on Sunday with Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian, as per the official conversation text released by China, stated that "the fundamental reason for the situation between Palestine and Israel is that the Palestinian people have been deprived of their right to establish a state for a long time."

He reaffirmed Beijing's "support for the just cause of the Palestinian people in safeguarding their national rights."

In a separate call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday, Yi insisted that Washington must play a "constructive and responsible role" in the conflict and urged for an "international peace conference as soon as possible" in an attempt to secure a ceasefire and initiate peace talks.


AFP