China condemned the ongoing conflict in Gaza, branding it a dark stain on the fabric of humanity, and urged for an immediate cessation of hostilities, as mediators worked tirelessly to broker a truce amidst the conflict’s prolonged duration.
US President Joe Biden has implored Hamas to agree to a ceasefire arrangement with Israel prior to the commencement of the Muslim holy month of fasting, which could commence as soon as Sunday, pending the sighting of the crescent moon.
However, despite ongoing mediation efforts by Egypt, significant roadblocks have impeded progress towards a ceasefire, while the United Nations has sounded the alarm about the imminent threat of famine for Palestinians trapped in the midst of the conflict.
“It is a tragedy for humankind and a disgrace for civilisation that today, in the 21st century, this humanitarian disaster cannot be stopped,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a news conference in Beijing.
China, known for its historical solidarity with the Palestinian people, has been vocal in urging for a ceasefire ever since the conflict erupted with Hamas militants launching attacks on Israel on October 7th.
“The international community must act urgently, making an immediate ceasefire and the cessation of hostilities an overriding priority, and ensuring humanitarian relief an urgent moral responsibility,” Wang said.
The devastation caused by the war has left Gaza dotted with ruins and rubble, plunging its 2.4 million inhabitants into a severe humanitarian crisis.
According to the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, 20 people, including a significant number of children, have died due to malnutrition and dehydration, as announced on Wednesday.
Only limited aid has reached Gaza’s north, where the UN’s World Food Programme has warned that hunger has reached “catastrophic levels” in northern Gaza, where aid has been limited.
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“Children are dying of hunger-related diseases and suffering severe levels of malnutrition,” the WFP said.
Gaza’s health ministry reported the demise of a 15-year-old girl at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, marking her as one of the recent casualties.
Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesman for the Health Ministry, warned that the dire famine in northern Gaza has escalated to lethal proportions, potentially resulting in the loss of thousands of lives unless urgent aid and medical supplies are dispatched.
Outside a UN refugee agency office in Rafah, a southern city now sheltering close to 1.5 million Palestinians, the displaced populace eagerly queued up for bags of flour, a vital resource amidst the ongoing war.
“The flour they provide is not enough,” said displaced man Muhammad Abu Odeh. “They do not provide us with sugar or anything else except flour.”
As relayed by an AFP correspondent, in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza’s principal urban center, numerous individuals seized the opportunity to assess their homes and salvage whatever belongings remained after the departure of Israeli forces from the city center.
The army has not yet responded to an AFP inquiry seeking confirmation of the reported withdrawal.