China urges Israel to stop operation in Rafah, warning of ‘serious humanitarian disaster’

China opposes and condemns actions that harm civilians and violate international law, says Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson

China Tuesday urged Israel to stop its military operation in the Gazan city of Rafah “as soon as possible,” warning of a “serious humanitarian disaster” there if the conflict doesn’t end.

“China… opposes and condemns actions that harm civilians and violate international law,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement, adding it urged Israel to “stop its military operation as soon as possible, make every effort to avoid innocent civilian casualties… to prevent a more serious humanitarian disaster in the Rafah area.”

In a dramatic escalation of Mideast tensions, Israeli forces have launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip, a response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.

Israel’s response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has reeled under a crippling siege since 2007.

Rafah border crossing

Since the start of the Israeli onslaught against Gaza on Oct. 7, Israel ordered residents in northern and central Gaza to evacuate toward the southern part of the enclave, leading to the current overcrowded conditions in the south, especially in Rafah.

Israel continues its onslaught on Gaza, where nearly 28,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 67,459 injured since Oct. 7, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Israel has pounded Gaza since a cross-border attack by Hamas, which Tel Aviv said killed nearly 1,200 people.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine. According to the United Nations, 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure was damaged or destroyed.

Source: Agencies