President,

I thank Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča for his briefing, and welcome the presence of the Foreign Minister of Israel and the representatives of Palestine and Argentina at today's meeting. I also thank Mr. Ilay David for his statement and express deep sympathy for what happened to your loved ones. We sincerely hope that all surviving hostages will be treated well and released at an early date to reunite with their families as soon as possible. We also hope that the wounds inflicted by this tragedy will be healed and overcome soon.

The conflict in Gaza has lasted for nearly two years, causing unprecedented death and destruction and inflicting unimaginable suffering on both the Palestinian and Israeli civilians. The ceasefire agreement reached in January this year, if fully implemented, could have led to a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and the release and return of all hostages. But it is regrettable that the ceasefire was broken, the hostages remain in captivity, and the suffering continues.

We call for an immediate and durable ceasefire. Israel's military operations have claimed the lives of over 60,000 Gazans, and more innocent lives are being lost every day. The grim reality has shown that military means are not the solution. An immediate ceasefire is the right way to save lives and bring hostages home. According to recent media reports, Israel has decided to escalate its military offensive and occupy Gaza in its entirety. We express grave concern in this regard. We urge Israel to immediately halt such dangerous moves, urge all parties to immediately reach a binding and sustainable ceasefire agreement, and urge the country with significant influence over the parties concerned to uphold a just and responsible stance and take concrete actions to promote a ceasefire.

We call for alleviating the humanitarian disaster. The two million innocent civilians in Gaza should not be victims of war, nor should they endure the agony of man-made disasters any longer. Amid the current extreme blockade and siege, the humanitarian disaster in Gaza continues to worsen, with severe famine looming. Restrictions on the access of supplies will only intensify the collective punishment against Gazans and make it harder for surviving hostages to access essential supplies. Israel must comply with international law, in particular international humanitarian law, fully restore the access of humanitarian supplies, and support the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies in delivering aid.

We call for reinvigorating the two-State solution. The recurring cycle of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict over the decades has cast a shadow over generations on both sides. The full implementation of the two-State solution and the establishment of an independent State of Palestine are the only right way to resolve the Palestinian question and prevent the recurrence of tragedies like the hostage-taking. The high-level meeting held last week at the General Assembly sent a strong signal for the implementation of the two-State solution. The international community should jointly oppose unilateral actions that undermine the foundation of the two-State solution and step up efforts to advance the political process for the two-State solution.

President,

China will continue to work with the international community to make every effort to end the fighting in Gaza, alleviate the humanitarian disaster, advance the implementation of the two-State solution, and ultimately achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question, so that the people of both Palestine and Israel can enjoy tranquility and happiness together.

Thank you, President.