China called on Israel on Tuesday to end its military operation in Rafah, southern Gaza, “as soon as possible” to “prevent an even more serious humanitarian catastrophe.”
• Also read: Gaza: The prospect of an offensive in Rafah is “terrifying”, says the UN
• Also read: Washington rejected a “large-scale” offensive in Rafah without any measures planned for civilians
International pressure for a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, including a new release of hostages, is increasing despite the threat of an Israeli offensive against Rafah.
This city is the last refuge for more than a million people in the Gaza Strip.
“China is closely following developments in the Rafah region, rejects and condemns actions that harm civilians and violate international law,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement.
“China calls on Israel to end its military operation as soon as possible and do everything possible to avoid innocent civilian casualties in order to prevent an even more serious humanitarian disaster in the Rafah region.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently ordered his army to prepare an offensive on Rafah, where the UN says there are 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half of the territory's total population.
He reiterated on Monday his determination to continue “military pressure until complete victory” on Hamas, whose “last bastion is Rafah,” in order to free “all of our hostages.”
A few hours earlier, Israel released two of its hostages, two Israeli-Argentine citizens, in Rafah on the border with Egypt.
This Israeli night commando operation was accompanied by bombings that, according to authorities, killed about a hundred people from the Palestinian Islamist movement, which has been in power in Gaza since 2007.