All should hold fire to give peace a chance

Over the past year or so, tensions in the Middle East have continued to escalate, with the regional security situation deteriorating significantly and burning issues emerging one after another.

In the latest such development, the United States launched air strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday, adding more uncertainties to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire process.

In what the US president described on social media as a "decisive and powerful military action" in response to the Houthis' "unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones", US warships and jets launched attacks across Yemen, targeting radars, air defense sites and drone launch points.

The Houthi-run health ministry said at least 31 people were killed, and 101 injured in the strikes as of the weekend, which appear to be just the start of a US campaign against the Houthis. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday that US air strikes against the Houthis will not stop until the group ends its attacks on US ships and drones.

The air strikes have raised tensions in the region that was just beginning to see some signs of de-escalation after Israel and Hamas concluded a 42-day ceasefire earlier this month. They have also cast a shadow over the Israel-Hamas talks that began last week in the Qatari capital of Doha on the commencement of the second phase of the ceasefire deal.

Since the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out in October 2023, the Houthi group, claiming to be acting in solidarity with the Palestinians, has targeted merchant vessels with missiles, drones and small boat attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden; the group has also targeted US aircraft carriers and naval vessels in the region. This prompted the US State Department to reinstate the group as a "foreign terrorist organization" earlier this month.

During the Israel-Hamas ceasefire the Houthis paused their attacks on shipping, but last week they threatened to resume attacks on Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea in an attempt to pressure Israel to reopen the border crossings for the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Israel's decision to block humanitarian aid to Gaza since earlier this month, a move Tel Aviv said is aimed at pressuring Hamas into accepting an extension to the ceasefire deal, has fueled fierce condemnation from Palestinians, regional countries and international organizations.

What is happening in the Middle East lays bare the hard truth that the US and its ally Israel do not sincerely spare a thought for the fate of the people in the region as they pursue their strategic aim of weakening Iran. Israel, with the unwavering support of the US, has seemingly not only debilitated both Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon but also the influence of their backer Iran, its archrival in the region. Israel's war machine has reshaped the region's power balance which has further dimmed hopes for the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

For the sake of regional peace and stability and to uphold international justice and fairness, it is essential that Israel and the US act in a more responsible and humane manner, giving due regard to resolving the humanitarian crisis they have created in Gaza.

There has already been too much blood spilled in the Middle East, and all parties should focus on addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, an unresolved historical injustice that is at the heart of the violent fractiousness in the region, rather than sparking new tensions or even crises that will only lead to even more bloodshed.

As a responsible major country, China remains committed to peace and stability in the Middle East, as shown by Foreign Minister Wang Yi's talks in Beijing on Friday with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov Sergey Alexeevich and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi on the Iranian nuclear issue, in which he put forward China's five-point proposal for the proper settlement of the issue.

Although the negotiations between Israel and Hamas remain on a knife's edge, peace remains within reach, and the pursuit of peace should not be abandoned, as Wang urged. All parties should refrain from the use of force and instead jointly contribute to de-escalating tensions in the region so as to pave the way for a permanent ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, which is the first stepping stone to peace in the region as a whole.