President, 

At the outset, I wish to congratulate Slovenia on assuming the Presidency of the Council for the month of September. The Chinese delegation assures you and your team of our full support for your work. I also register our appreciation for Sierra Leone’s Presidency during the month of August. I thank Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo, Director Edem Wosornu, and the two civil society briefers for their briefings. 

The six hostages who perished in Gaza are distressing. The tragic end that befell them evokes sympathy. China condemns all violence against civilians and denounces all violations of international law and international humanitarian law. We repeat our call for greater diplomatic effort towards the immediate release of all detainees, be they Israeli or Palestinian, so that they can go home without further delay. 

The stark reality speaks volumes about the futility of attempts to win a “total victory” by prolonging the war, which is at best wishful thinking. The use of force will not pave the way for hostage release. It will only aggregate antagonism and make the confrontations more intense and the situation more volatile. The Israeli leadership should listen to the public’s forceful appeals, give top priority to securing the release of hostages and saving lives, and do their utmost to make the ceasefire happen and end the war. We call on the countries that hold sway over the parties concerned to show good faith and a responsible attitude by taking tangible actions to put out the flames of war in Gaza. 

Every life matters, and no one deserves to be deprived of their right to live. We commend the WHO and other humanitarian agencies that are going against all odds to provide polio vaccination for Gazan children. These children have the same right to grow up healthily as their peers elsewhere in the world. They look forward to a childhood they can enjoy in safety and with enough food to eat. They should not continue to face the deadly threat of lethal weapons after receiving vaccination. 

President, 

Next week will mark the 11th month of the conflict in Gaza. Despite repeated international efforts and repeated international calls for a ceasefire and an end to all hostilities, there is still no sign of easing or deescalation. Rather, what we do see is the continued escalation of the situation in the West Bank in addition to what is going on in Gaza. The international community must not allow the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza to be repeated in the West Bank. China urges the parties, Israel in particular, to show calm and restraint and fulfill its obligations as the occupying power, halt settler activities, stop attacks in the West Bank, and respect and maintain the status quo shaped by history of the holy sites in Jerusalem. This war has been raging for too long. Ceasefire negotiations have been delayed for too long. And the suffering of the population has persisted for too long time. It’s time to put an end to all these. We support the Security Council in taking further actions to implement the relevant Council resolutions, put out the flames of war without delay, and alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe. 

Thank you, President.