As the Israel-Hamas war rages on, China has broken its silence and called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Speaking at an emergency session of the UN Security Council, Beijing called on Israel to stop its "collective punishment" against the Palestinian people.
Meanwhile, the Palestinians Un Representative Riyad Mansour told the UNSC that the Gaza War has become the "most documented genocide in history".
As the war enters Day 286, here is a look at the latest developments.
China Calls For Immediate Ceasefire
In a speech at the UN Security Council on Wednesday, China’s permanent representative to UN Fu Cong called for an immediate ceasefire in the war-torn strip. Beijing urged Israel to stop its "collective punishment of the Gaza people” and implement a two-state solution as soon as possible.
“Countries with important influence should earnestly make sincere and responsible efforts to promote parties concerned to demonstrate political will and implement relevant Security Council resolutions,” Fu Cong said.
The Chinese UN representative also called on Tel Aviv to open all land crossings into Gaza to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.
'Most Documented Genocide In History'
As the war rages on, Israel has intensified its attacks in the Gaza Strip. IN the past week, militarily declared "safe zones" have been the top targets of Israeli air strikes.
Addressing the UNSC, Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour told the members that Israel has broken "all rules" unapologetically and is continuing to do so despite calls from allies suggesting otherwise.
"It [Israel] breached every rile ever elaborated, every principle humanity pledged to uphold. It killed those most entitled to protection - civillians, children, humanitarians, doctors and journalists," stated Mansour.
"Israel is doing so unapologetically. It is committing crimes openly, brazenly and repeatedly. Its own soldiers do not hesitate to share recordings of those crimes with the rest of the world. What is happening in Gaza will go down as the most documented genocide in history," the UN ambassador added further.
Israeli Army Claims It Killed 2 Fighters From Hamas Ally Group PIJ
As Israel continues its "military operations" in Gaza, it has claimed that two fighters from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), including the chief of the group’s naval force have been killed.
As per IDF, Anas Murad and Ahmed al-Masri were allegedly killed on Wednesday. As per Isralei military, al-Masri was one of the PIJ fighters who participated in the October 7 attacks in southern Israel.
Israeli Parliament Votes Against Creation Of Palestinian State
Days before Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the US, the Israeli Parliament has overwhelmingly voted against the creation of a Palestinian state. The resolution which called for a rejection of Palestinains statehood was co-sponsored by parties in PM Netanyahu’s coalition with right-wing parties from the opposition and Benny Gantz’s centrist National Unity party.
As per Times Of Israel, the only parties to back the resolution were were lawmakers from Labor, Ra’am and Hadash-Ta’al.
“The Knesset of Israel firmly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state west of Jordan. The establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the Land of Israel will pose an existential danger to the State of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and destabilize the region,” read the resolution passed.
Far-Right Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir Storms Al-Aqsa Mosque In Jerusalem
As reported by AP and Palestinian news agency WAFA, extremist Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on Thursday.
Citing sources, WAFA reported that Gvir was accompanied by a large number of occupation police officers. The raid, which will mark the Israeli Minister's third raid this year, has prevented worshipers from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Israel Hamas war broke out on October 7, 2023 after the Palestinian militant group launched a terror attack in southern Israel, killing 1,140 people and taking around 250 hostage. In response to the attacks, Israel launched a complete siege of the Gaza Strip and since then has carried out extensive land, air and sea operations in the war-torn strip.
Israel's bombardment in Gaza has killed nearly 39,000 Palestinians, majority of which are children and women.
