A spokeswoman for China's Foreign Ministry on Monday called for Israel and other parties concerned in the ongoing Gaza Strip conflict to exercise calm in the developing situation.
"We strongly urge all parties, Israel in particular, to show maximum restraint, reach an immediate ceasefire, and avoid taking any actions to escalate the situation," Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing.
China has expressed grave concern over the large-scale military action taken by Israel in the Gaza Strip, she said, adding that China condemns the violence that has caused civilian casualties.
Thirteen Palestinians were killed by Israeli planes on Monday in the Gaza Strip, taking the death toll to 86 as the airstrikes entered their sixth day.
Arab foreign ministers held an emergency meeting late on Saturday on Gaza and urged a review on the Arab Peace initiative with Israel.
Hua said China supported the Arab states' just stance on Palestinian issues, and appreciated and backed efforts by Egypt and other regional countries as well as the League of Arab States to ease current tensions.
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