President.

I thank Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for presiding over today’s meeting and Chef de Cabinet Courtenay Rattray for delivering the statement on behalf of Secretary-General Guterres.

Since its outbreak over nine months ago, the Gaza conflict has caused over 38,000 civilian deaths, resulting in an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. The situation continues to deteriorate with millions of Gazans repeatedly being forced to move. Schools and the refugee camps have been under constant bombardment. The red lines of international law and international humanitarian law have been breached time and again. The international community must pool all its efforts to promote a ceasefire in order to save lives and alleviate the ongoing disaster without delay.

An immediate and lasting ceasefire is a necessary precondition for saving innocent lives. When pushing for the adoption of Resolution 2735 within the Council, the United States repeatedly claimed that Israel had accepted the agreement. However, more than a month has passed, the Israeli military operations in Gaza have continued to expand with recent attacks on several refugee camps including Al Mawasi and Nuseirat, causing massive casualties. At this moment, what Gaza needs is the hope for peace. Military operations will only cause more casualties among innocent civilians. They will not create conditions conducive to the rescue of hostages. We urge Israel to immediately cease all military operations in Gaza and to stop the collective punishment of the people of Gaza. Countries with major influence should make earnest and responsible efforts to push the parties to come up with the political will to implement relevant Council solutions.

Expanding humanitarian access is an urgent need to ease the current situation. The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is a man-made disaster. Hunger should not be weaponized, nor humanitarian issues be politicized. The closure of the floating pier has once again made it clear that land transportation routes are the most effective means to expand humanitarian access at scale, for which there is no substitute. Humanitarian agencies including UNRWA have built the last lifeline for the people of Gaza. We condemn the attacks on humanitarian agencies and their personnel and call for a thorough investigation and accountability of relevant incidents. China urges Israel to fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law by lifting the blockade and opening all land crossings in Gaza, so as to ensure the rapid, safe, and large scale entry of humanitarian supplies into Gaza and their safe and orderly distribution, while cooperating fully with the United Nations and other humanitarian actors.

The two-State solution is the only viable way to resolve the Middle East question. Over the past decades, the Palestinian-Israeli situation has been repeatedly caught up in turmoil and tensions. The root cause is the fact that the two-State solution has not been implemented and the Palestinian people’s national rights to independent statehood not guaranteed. Gaza belongs to Palestine and the Palestinian people. Discussions on the postwar governance of Gaza must be based on reaching a political solution, rather than adopting a piecemeal crisis management. It is vital to respect the will of the Palestinian people and address the legitimate concerns of regional countries. China firmly supports the establishment of an independent State of Palestine and a Palestine governed by Palestinians, and calls for the convening of a larger, more authoritative, and more effective international peace conference and the establishment of a concrete timetable and roadmap for the implementation of the two-State solution.

President,

The current conflict in Gaza is having a growing spillover impact. The situation in the Middle East is increasingly precarious and worrisome. China calls on all parties to exercise calm and restraint, refrain from actions that exacerbate tensions, and work together to prevent havoc that could engulf the entire Middle Eastern region. Together with others, China will continue to work tirelessly to bring an early end to the fighting in Gaza, alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe, and implement the two-State solution.

Thank you, President.