President,

I thank Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari for the briefing. I also thank Mr. Eli Sharabi for his statement. We express our sympathy for what you have been through and your loss of the loved ones. 15 months of conflict have made Gaza unrecognizable and caused unimaginable suffering for many people. We sincerely hope that all that suffering will come to an end, that all hostages and those held captive will be promptly released, and that peace will be restored in Gaza. Yet the developments have proven otherwise.

Since March 17, Israel has begun to carry out large-scale airstrikes and resumed hostilities in Gaza, leading to the collapse of the ceasefire agreement and causing more suffering and deaths. China expresses serious concerns over this. Putting Gaza under the threat of gunfire will probably not make the hostages safer. In fact, we hear that some families of the hostages are also worried that the resumption of fighting will put the hostages in greater danger and hope that the ceasefire will be maintained, which would be conducive to the early return of the hostages to their homes. The brutal reality has shown that achieving a permanent ceasefire is the best way to save lives and get the hostages home. We urge Israel to abandon its obsession with the use of force and stop its military operation against Gaza. We hope that the guarantors of the ceasefire agreement will adopt a just and responsible attitude and take actions to promote the continuous implementation of the three-phased ceasefire towards a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. 

The people in Gaza, while fleeing the fighting, are yet again being subject to a humanitarian catastrophe and displacement. Israel has successively cut off access for aid supplies into Gaza and the power supply, and issued orders of forced evacuation from multiple locations in Gaza. This is collective punishment for the two million civilians, for which there is no justification. Denying humanitarian supplies into Gaza can deprive the remaining hostages of their needs to survive. Israel, as the occupying power, should fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law, immediately lift the blockade, and fully restore access for humanitarian supplies into Gaza. We also oppose any attacks on UN personnel and humanitarian workers. 

President,

The life of every individual is precious. The Palestinian people and the Israeli people have equal rights to survival and development. The decades-long cycles of Palestinian-Israeli conflict have caused generations on both sides to live under the shadow. Only by fully implementing the two-State solution and achieving the independent statehood of Palestine and achieving peaceful coexistence between the two states of Palestine and Israel, can we ensure the lasting security and well-being of the Palestinians and Israelis. We call on the international community to step up efforts in advancing the political process of the two-State solution. China will continue to play a constructive role to restore peace in the Middle East, and achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting solution to the Palestinian question.

Thank you, President.