China votes at UN in favor of Gaza ceasefire

China's ambassador to the United Nations said on Thursday that the killing of civilians in Gaza must stop, as the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

"We must not continue to allow innocent civilians to die. Israel continues to escalate its military offensive against Gaza, and each day, large numbers of innocent lives are lost," said Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, in remarks to the General Assembly.

"Whatever pretext will not make killing civilians noble or just," he said. "It has already been 19 months since the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza. Over 55,000 people in Gaza have lost their lives. Over 2 million people are deeply trapped in an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe."

The vote in the 193-member General Assembly was 149 votes in favor, including China. The United States, Israel and 10 others voted against, while 10 members abstained.

The resolution, drafted by Spain, also calls for the release of hostages held in Gaza by Hamas, the release of Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel, and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

The resolution also "strongly condemns the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and the unlawful denial of humanitarian access and depriving civilians ... of objects indispensable to their survival, including willfully impeding relief supply and access".

Israel has denied the claims of starvation.

Fu noted that last week the 10 elected members of the Security Council put forth a draft resolution on the humanitarian issues in Gaza, which had the support of 14 council members but was vetoed by the US. He said that China found the veto "deeply disappointing and regrettable".

"The draft resolution of the GA just adopted reflects the overwhelming call of the international community, sends a strong political message, and embodies the solidarity and consensus among the overwhelming majority of member states," Fu said.?

Assembly resolutions, while not legally binding like Security Council votes, are considered representative of world opinion.

"The UN and other humanitarian agencies have sounded the alarm many times that large-scale famine is imminent in Gaza," Fu said. "In contrast, outside the borders of Gaza, massive amounts of food are piled in warehouses, yet it is impossible to deliver them to the starving civilians.

"Such forced deprivation of the right of the people to subsistence supplies is in violation of international law," Fu said, adding that China "firmly opposes the weaponization of humanitarian aid and urges Israel to fulfill its obligations as the occupying power by immediately lifting the blockade on Gaza, fully restoring access to humanitarian supplies, and supporting the UN and other humanitarian agencies in carrying out their work".?

Fu said that the two-state solution is "the only viable way out for the Palestinian question".

"Next week, there will be a high-level conference on the implementation of the two-state solution. We expect the conference to adopt practical and effective outcomes and to inject fresh momentum into the prospects of realizing the two-state solution," he said.

"China will join efforts with the international community to continue to work for a ceasefire in Gaza, ease the humanitarian catastrophe, and ultimately achieve the comprehensive, just, and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question," Fu said.