China's UN envoy condemns attacks on civilians

China's top envoy to the United Nations on Wednesday strongly condemned attacks on civilians and civilian facilities amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

At least 471 Palestinians were killed and more than 314 wounded in a blast at the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday night, said the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Wednesday.

China is "shocked by the attack" on the hospital, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN.

"We strongly condemn this heinous attack. The protection of civilians in armed conflict is a red line under international humanitarian law," he said at a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday.

"Civilians and civilian facilities, such as hospitals and schools, should not and must not be targeted by military operations; the indiscriminate use of force is unacceptable; and the safety of humanitarian and medical workers must be guaranteed," said Zhang.

The Health Ministry reported that 1,300 people are missing, including 600 children, in the hospital blast, which Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other.

Zhang called on Israel to lift the "complete siege" of Gaza and urged for an immediate cease-fire.

"We urge Israel to effectively comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law," Zhang said.

The Palestinian death toll since Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza stands at 3,478, with the number of wounded reaching 12,065, according to the ministry.

Israel imposed a "complete siege" of the Palestinian enclave on the third day following a deadly attack in southern Israel by the Islamist Palestinian group Hamas on Oct 7. Some 1,300 people in Israel were killed in the attacks launched by Hamas.

"Under the current circumstances, there is no time to lose in protecting the safety of civilians, carrying out humanitarian relief and preventing a humanitarian disaster," Zhang said.

"We call on Israel to lift the complete siege of Gaza, rescind the emergency evacuation orders and stop the airstrikes around the Rafah crossing," said Zhang.

Zhang warned that if the current fighting in Gaza is allowed to continue, the end result will "not be a complete military victory for either side, but probably a catastrophe that will engulf the entire region and could completely bury the prospects for a two-state solution, plunging the Palestinian and Israeli peoples into a vicious cycle of hatred and confrontation".

"There are no winners in war, and responding to violence with violence can only lead to a more serious crisis. There must be an immediate cease-fire, abandon military means and return to the track of dialogue and negotiation," Zhang said.

He emphasized that any violence and attacks against civilians should be rejected. "Both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples have the right to be free from fear, and their security should be equally protected," he said.

International humanitarian law must be respected, the basic needs of the population of Gaza should be safeguarded, humanitarian corridors should be opened immediately, and detainees should be released, Zhang said.

"A comprehensive, just and lasting solution should be sought on the basis of international consensus, including the relevant United Nations resolutions, in order to achieve peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel," he said.

The UN Security Council has no reason to remain silent and no excuse for continued procrastination, said Zhang. "China does not agree with the claim that action by the council will interfere with ongoing diplomatic efforts," he said.

The United States on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have called for "humanitarian pauses" to deliver lifesaving aid to millions in Gaza. The resolution, led by Brazil, received 12 votes in favor, one against from the US, and two abstentions from Russia and the UK.

The council's failure to make its first public intervention on the Israeli-Palestinian issue came after the rejection of a Russian-backed draft on Monday evening.

China feels "shocked and disappointed that the draft resolution failed to be adopted", Zhang said.

The Russian-backed draft "was supported and co-sponsored by many Arab countries", said Zhang. However, some countries were against it and said that they wanted more time to seek consensus on the basis of the draft resolution tabled by Brazil, he said.

"In the past 40 hours, those countries have neither commented on nor expressed opposition to the Brazilian draft, which led us to expect that today hopefully the council would be able to adopt the resolution. The final result is unbelievable," Zhang said.

"The way they voted only makes us question their willingness to let the council take any actions and their sincerity to find a solution to the problem. In the final analysis, the council cannot stand still," the envoy said.