China has never ceased making efforts to bring the conflict between Israel and Palestine to an early end, and promote the settlement of the Palestinian question under the framework of the two-state solution.

It is seeking to work with all like-minded countries to this effect. With its Middle East envoy engaged in busy shuttle diplomacy in the region, Beijing is actively taking advantage of all multilateral occasions and platforms to do its part as a responsible major country to promote not only an immediate cease-fire, but also a cessation of the hostilities between the two sides.

Its latest moves include President Xi Jinping attending the BRICS extraordinary virtual summit on the Palestine-Israel conflict on Tuesday, as well as the talks Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted with a delegation of Arab-Islamic foreign ministers in Beijing on Monday and Tuesday.

The virtual summit of the BRICS leaders shows they are actively shouldering their shared responsibility to contribute to the resolving of hotspot issues.

The fact that the delegation of Arab-Islamic foreign ministers chose Beijing as the first stop on their international mediation tour highlights the deep trust these countries have in China. A good friend of Arab and Islamic countries, China firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights and interests.

There should be no doubt that China stands ready to make unremitting efforts to secure an early cease-fire in Gaza, the easing of the humanitarian crisis there, the release of all detainees and an early, comprehensive, just and enduring settlement of the Palestinian question.

As more than 14,000 civilians have died since the conflict broke out on Oct 7, some countries should stop playing word games with"pause" and"cease-fire". A cease-fire is imperative as it is a matter of life and death for people in Gaza. Even wars have laws. Indiscriminate attacks on civilians cannot be condoned no matter the circumstances.

Israel should know from bitter experience that using force to try and settle the Palestinian question in a once-for-all manner will only spark a new cycle of violence. Tel Aviv should stop its collective punishment of the people in Gaza and help open humanitarian corridors as soon as possible to prevent a wider humanitarian disaster.

The fundamental reason for the long cycle of violence between the two sides is that the Palestinian people's right to statehood and survival and their right of return to their homes have been ignored for a long time. Any arrangement concerning the future and destiny of Palestine must be based on the consent of the Palestinian people and accommodate the legitimate concerns of regional countries. Any solution to the current situation should not deviate from the two-state solution and should be conducive to regional peace and stability.