Turkey, China, UN call for end to violence in Israel-Palestine conflict
Ankara, Beijing, and the United Nations have all called for an end to the violence between Israel and Palestine, which has killed hundreds of people and displaced thousands more.
In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said it was "deeply concerned" by the escalation of tensions and violence, and called on both sides to "exercise restraint and avoid impulsive steps."
"We attach great importance to the restoration of peace in the region as soon as possible and strongly condemn the loss of civilian lives," the statement said. "We emphasise that acts of violence and the escalation thereof will not benefit anyone and call on the parties to exercise restraint and avoid impulsive steps. We are always ready to contribute as much as we can to ensure that these developments are brought under control before they escalate and spread to a wider area. We call on the parties to renounce the use of force and to work for a lasting solution in line with this vision, without further delay."
China also expressed "deep concern" over the current escalation of tensions and violence, and called on the parties involved in the conflict to "immediately cease h ostilities to protect civilians and prevent further deterioration of the situation."
"At the same time, Beijing calls on the international community to take urgent action, facilitate the early resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel, and find a way to bring about lasting peace," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
Meanwhile, an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East and the Palestinian issue will take place today. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the international community to "spare no effort" to avoid an escalation of the conflict. He also "strongly condemned" the attack on Israeli communities by the Hamas terrorist group.
The clashes between the Israeli military and the Hamas terrorist organisation continue for the second day in a row. At least 350 Israelis have been killed and several thousand others injured. The Israeli military has also acknowledged that the Hamas terrorist group has taken hostages. In Gaza, about 300 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 2,000 injured in Israeli airstrikes in response to the Hamas "surprise attack."
The Israeli military has ordered residents of several areas in the Gaza Strip to leave their homes because of upcoming retaliatory attacks against the Hamas terrorist organisation.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
