With skies quiet, world hails truce brokered by Egypt

China on Friday welcomed a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement which controls the Gaza Strip, and pledged to provide $1 million in cash to Palestine as emergency humanitarian assistance.

China will also donate 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said during a news conference in Beijing.

China will push for a comprehensive review of the Palestinian question at the UN Security Council to reaffirm the two-state solution, Zhao said, calling for the international community to help Israelis and Palestinians to reopen peace negotiations and bring about a comprehensive, just and enduring solution to the Palestinian question on the basis of the two-state solution.

He added that Beijing will invite representatives from Israel and Palestine to hold a peace symposium in China at an appropriate time and welcomes the two countries to carry out direct negotiations in China.

Earlier on Friday, the China International Development Cooperation Agency also said China will provide emergency humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian government at the earliest possible date.