China Makes Plea Over Gaza Strip

As Israel and Hamas are locked in an increasingly bloody conflict tearing the Middle East apart, China is posturing itself as a possible peace-broker in the region.

An editorial piece published on Monday in the Global Times, an English-language publication launched by the Chinese government to address Western readers, revealed China's views on the conflict and issued a plea for "calm and restraint." It also reported on work it said had been carried out behind the scenes by Chinese officials "to make active efforts to promote a ceasefire, end violence, and cool down the situation."

Israel and Palestine have been engaged in a bitter territorial dispute for decades over land that has historical and religious significance for both sides. Fresh violence erupted a little over a week ago on October 7, when Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest ever airstrikes on Gaza and is now widely expected to launch a ground offensive. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is "at war" and has cut off supplies of food, fuel, electricity and medicine into Gaza.

Some 2,750 Palestinians and more than 1,400 Israelis have died so far in the conflict, according to the Associated Press on Monday. Thousands more on both sides have been wounded, while 199 Israeli hostages were abducted and taken into Gaza, the agency added.

Monday's opinion piece in the Global Times noted that the United States and the United Kingdom had urged Israel to show restraint, and added: "As the Chinese side said, when dealing with international regional hotspot issues, major powers should adhere to objectivity and impartiality, maintain calm and restraint, and take the lead in abiding by international law...

"Over the past few days, the Chinese side has had phone conversations with officials from the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other countries to communicate their positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The special envoy of the Chinese government on the Middle East issue will also visit relevant countries in the region in the near future to make active efforts to promote a ceasefire, end violence, and cool down the situation."

The mention of Iran is particularly significant. The country is potentially a key player in the unfolding events, amid fears that Lebanon-based Hezbollah—an Iran-backed group of Islamist militants that the U.S. considers a terrorist organization—could join forces with Hamas, which is also backed by Iran and considered a terrorist organization by the U.S.

"We hope to see more and more countries stand on the side of peace, justice, international law, the common aspirations of the majority of countries, and human conscience. This is not only to avoid exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip as much as possible, but also a responsible attitude toward peace and security in the Middle East and the world," the Global Times' opinion piece concluded.

It's not the first time that China has commented publicly on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

China's foreign minister Wang Yi said Israeli air strikes on Gaza had gone "beyond the scope of self-defense." Protecting "the basic needs of the people in Gaza" is a priority and "China opposes and condemns all acts that harm civilians," he added during a call with Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, according to Chinese media.

His comments echoed a previous statement from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Friday who said: "We oppose acts that harm civilians and violate international law. We are committed to promoting peace talks and achieving a ceasefire and will continue to work for de-escalation and resumption of peace talks."

Newsweek has reached out to both Israeli government and Hamas press offices by email seeking comment on China's interventions.

China's bid to act as a possible peace-broker in the region comes as its own relationship with the U.S. continues to deteriorate.

Beijing recently appeared to issue a warning to Washington, D.C., after accusing it of threatening world peace. Following a report released by the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States that concluded that the U.S. would currently be unable to fight Russia and China simultaneously if the two were to combine forces, China said such "fringe fantasy" hyperbole and the report's recommendations to U.S. leaders to prepare for such an eventuality risked sparking a nuclear arms race and "would ultimately backfire on the U.S. itself."

The comments were made in an article in the Global Times, and the piece concluded with a stark warning: "Those who play with fire will perish by it."