Beijing calls for restoring dialogue

Under threat again

The Middle East is again under threat of further division and destruction, said Khan. "Right from the beginning, the Chinese leadership emphasized… dialogue, diplomacy, and development to resolve this frozen conflict, which has now become fatal," he said.

Mutual respect, the granting of political sovereignty, and economic liberalization are the only way forward, Khan said, noting that ongoing conflict will further lead to radicalization, terrorism, political instability, and social disharmony in the region.

The Israeli government and the PLO agreed on a plan to implement a two-state solution as part of the Oslo Accords in 1993. Former Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid stated during the UN General Assembly's 77th session in 2022 that "a large majority of Israelis support the vision of the two-state solution".

Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Center for Research and Security Studies in Pakistan, said China has made it clear it does not want to interfere in the internal matters of any country but it also desires an equitable, just resolution of all the problems, including those of the Palestinians who deserve an independent sovereign state, said Gul.

The crisis will have a spillover effect around the world and could even exacerbate other conflicts, said Karori Singh, former director and emeritus fellow of the South Asia Studies Centre at India's University of Rajasthan.

"Oil prices have already surged immediately after the conflict," Singh noted. "Obviously, it is leading to a humanitarian crisis."

The death toll from five days of fighting between Hamas and Israel rose sharply overnight as Israel kept up its bombardment of Gaza on Wednesday.

In Israel, the death toll rose to 1,200, making it the deadliest attack in the country's history, while Gaza officials reported more than 900 people killed as Israel pounded the territory with airstrikes.

Agencies contributed to this story.