China on Thursday called for an
“immediate ceasefire”
in Gaza, calling a
“disgrace to civilization”
the war between Israel and Hamas which is entering its sixth month despite efforts by mediators to achieve a truce.
Meeting in Cairo, the United States, Qatar and Egypt hope to reach, without success so far, an agreement on a pause in the fighting before Ramadan, the holy month of Muslim fasting, which begins at the beginning of the week next.
Triggered by an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement against Israel on October 7, the war has caused a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, where 2.2 of the 2.4 million inhabitants are threatened with famine according to the UN.
“The fact that today, in the 21st century, this humanitarian catastrophe cannot be stopped is a human tragedy, even more, it is a shame for civilization
,” said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. during a press conference in Beijing.
Reiterating his country's support for
"full"
membership of a Palestinian state in the UN, Mr. Wang again called for an
"immediate ceasefire"
in the besieged territory and target of incessant Israeli strikes.
The Hamas Health Ministry said Thursday that new strikes left 81 people dead there overnight.
Since Sunday in the Egyptian capital, a Hamas delegation has been discussing a possible six-week truce with American, Egyptian and Qatari representatives - but without an Israeli presence.
This would be associated with a release of hostages kidnapped on October 7 and still held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, as well as the entry of increased aid into the Palestinian territory.
Israel's main ally, the United States is pushing for an agreement to be reached before Ramadan, believing that the ball was in Hamas's court, while demanding that the Israelis let in more aid.
Humanitarian ceasefire
Before any agreement, Hamas demands a definitive ceasefire, a withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, the reconstruction of the territory and the return to their homes of hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced by the war.
Israel rejects these conditions and assures that the offensive will continue until the elimination of Hamas, which it considers a terrorist organization as do the United States and the European Union.
According to media reports, Israel asks Hamas to provide it with a precise list of hostages, but the Islamist movement says it does not know
“who is alive or dead”
among them.
“This horror must stop now.
A humanitarian ceasefire cannot wait
,” UN chief Antonio Guterres said Wednesday on the X network after receiving families of Palestinian victims.
The Security Council is due to meet again on Thursday behind closed doors to discuss the situation.
On October 7, Hamas commandos infiltrated from the neighboring Gaza Strip carried out an attack on southern Israel which cost the lives of at least 1,160 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count carried out in from official data.
Around 250 people were also kidnapped and taken to Gaza, and, according to Israel, 130 hostages are still being held there, 31 of whom are believed to have died.
During a truce at the end of November, 105 hostages were released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, which has been in power in Gaza since 2007.
His army launched a large-scale offensive that left 30,717 people dead in the Gaza Strip, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas health ministry.
The fighting has, according to the UN, forced 1.7 million Palestinians to flee their homes.
Most have fled to the town of Rafah, located in the far south of the Gaza Strip against the closed border with Egypt, where Israel is planning a ground offensive.
Subject to Israeli control, international aid only enters the territory in trickles, raising fears of widespread famine, particularly in the north, which is difficult to access due to destruction, fighting and looting.
Malnutrition and dehydration
In London, after a meeting with Benny Gantz, member of the Israeli war cabinet, the head of British diplomacy David Cameron affirmed on Wednesday that the situation in Gaza
“must change”
.
“As the occupying power, Israel has a legal responsibility to ensure that aid is available to civilians
,” he said.
For its part, Italy announced the launch on Monday of an initiative,
“Food for Gaza”
, the objective of which is to coordinate food aid with specialized UN agencies and the Red Cross.
“We can survive without food for several hours, but not our children
,” volunteer Bassam Al-hou told AFP during a distribution of free meals to displaced people in Jabaliya (north).
“They are dying and fainting in the streets from hunger.
What can we do?"
.
According to the Hamas health ministry, at least 20 Palestinians, most of them children, died of malnutrition and dehydration.
“We believe that dozens of people are silently dying of hunger without reaching hospitals
,” said ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra.
Faced with the difficulties of ground supplies, some countries, including the United States, Jordan and France, began dropping aid by air on the northern Gaza Strip, a solution considered insufficient and dangerous by the humanitarian organizations.
The maritime supply route is also explored.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is due to visit the port of Larnaca in Cyprus, the EU country geographically closest to Gaza, on Friday.