China urges Israel to fulfill humanitarian obligations in Gaza

UNITED NATIONS -- China on Tuesday called on Israel to fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law and heed the international community's call to ensure the rapid and safe entry of humanitarian supplies into Gaza.

In remarks at the UN Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, China's permanent representative to the United Nations Fu Cong highlighted the severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, exacerbated by extreme shortages of essential supplies and dire health conditions.

He noted that "millions of people are struggling with hunger, disease, pain, and despair," describing the situation as a man-made humanitarian disaster and a serious breach of international law.

Fu pointed out that Gaza has been under blockade for nine months, with over 2 million people living in an "open-air prison" without adequate access to water, electricity, food, medication, and fuel.

He criticized the closure of the Rafah crossing due to Israeli military operations, which has left thousands of trucks loaded with humanitarian supplies waiting in long lines.

"The existing crossing points are far from being able to meet the demand for humanitarian aid," Fu said, emphasizing that land transport routes are key to expanding humanitarian access.

Fu also addressed the obstruction of humanitarian supplies and the challenges faced by humanitarian workers, who encounter unreasonable difficulties and accusations.

He condemned the repeated attacks on facilities of humanitarian agencies and noted that over 200 humanitarian workers have died in the conflict, calling this "unprecedented in history and shocking."

Reiterating that "hunger cannot be weaponized, humanitarian issues cannot be politicized," Fu said the man-made exacerbation of the humanitarian disaster is "unacceptable."

Fu urged Israel to ensure the "rapid and safe entry of humanitarian supplies at scale into Gaza," and to cooperate fully with the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations.

The council's adoption of resolution 2720 aimed to expand humanitarian access, but its implementation has fallen short.

Fu called for an examination of the reasons behind this and urged the concerned parties to work harder to remove obstacles to the large-scale entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Fu concluded by emphasizing that the fundamental way to alleviate the humanitarian disaster is through a lasting ceasefire and the early relaunch of the two-state solution.

He called on the international community to continue efforts toward this end and supported the council in taking further necessary action.