Beijing: World must act urgently for Gaza ceasefire

The international community must take urgent action to stop the "humanitarian catastrophe" unfolding in Gaza, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a visiting delegation of diplomats from Arab and Muslim nations.

"Let us work together to quickly defuse the situation in Gaza and restore peace in the Middle East as soon as possible." "A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Gaza," Wang Yi told diplomats, including the foreign ministers of the Palestinian Authority, Indonesia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

"The situation in Gaza affects all countries of the world, calling into question the human sense of right and wrong. The international community must act urgently by taking effective measures to prevent the spread of this tragedy," he added.

Israel has vowed to destroy Gaza's ruling Hamas over the Oct. 7 attacks, which killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages.

According to Hamas, at least 13,000 people have been killed in Israel's relentless retaliatory strikes.

Most of the casualties on both sides were civilians. /BGNES