China's permanent representative to the United Nations Fu Cong on Friday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza while stressing that humanitarian issues must not be politicized.

As the latest round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in Gaza stretches into its 10th month, the United Nations Security Council met at the UN headquarters in New York to discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza at the request of China, Russia and Algeria.

"The reason we are calling for this meeting is that we are very concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and we do believe that it's time to stop the killing. And we urge the U.S. to put more pressure on Israel to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible," Fu told the China Central Television (CCTV) ahead of the meeting.

Briefing the Security Council, Antonia Marie De Meo, deputy commissioner-general for Operational Support with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said despite the Security Council's adoption of multiple resolutions, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is still worsening, and 166 UNRWA staff members had been killed and about two-thirds of its facilities were subject to military attacks.

Social order in Gaza has broken down due to the ongoing conflict, and the United Nations and non-governmental organizations are working hard to provide assistance for the most vulnerable people, Muhannad Hadi, deputy UN special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told the Security Council meeting.

Addressing the meeting, Fu said the conflict in Gaza has caused an unprecedented, ever-worsening humanitarian catastrophe, with nearly 40,000 innocent civilians having lost their lives.

The red lines of international law and international humanitarian law have been crossed repeatedly. The unfolding tragedy in Gaza is testing the moral conscience of humanity and rocking the very foundation of international justice, said the Chinese envoy.

"It has been almost two months since Security Council Resolution 2735 was adopted. While certain countries keep asserting that negotiations for a ceasefire are underway, Israel has continued its large-scale military operations over the past two months. The bombings and attacks have not stopped even for a moment, and innocent civilians are dying each and every single day," he said.

The Chinese envoy voiced strong opposition to attempts to attack and discredit UNRWA and to throw a spanner in the works of UNRWA's mandate implementation.

In an alarming development, an UNRWA humanitarian transport vehicle was recently shot by Israeli forces, he noted, calling for ensuring the safety and security of humanitarian workers in Gaza and a thorough investigation into the incident in question.

The intra-Palestinian groups held a reconciliation dialogue in Beijing and reached important consensus, making a significant step forward for upholding the principle of Palestinians governing Palestine and preparing for post-war governance in Gaza, Fu said.

Stressing that China firmly supports the independent Palestinian statehood, he called for broader international efforts to put the Palestinian question back on the right track towards a political settlement.

Many other countries also expressed concerns over the failure in implementing Security Council Resolution 2735, demanding that Israel guarantee humanitarian access in compliance with UN resolutions and decisions of the International Court of Justice, and calling on Israel to immediately stop the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank.

SHOTLIST:
FILE: UN Headquarters, New York City - Date Unknown
1. Various of UN flag, logo;

UN Headquarters, New York City - July 26, 2024
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to United Nations:
"The reason we are calling for this meeting is that we are very concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and we do believe that it's time to stop the killing. And we urge the U.S. to put more pressure on Israel to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible.";

UN Headquarters, New York City - July 26, 2024
3. Security Council meeting in progress;
4. Antonia Marie De Meo, deputy commissioner-general for Operational Support, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), speaking at meeting;
5. Muhannad Hadi, deputy UN special coordinator for Middle East Peace Process, speaking at meeting;

FILE: Gaza Strip - May 23, 2024
6. Building of UNRWA health center;
7. UN logo;

FILE: Gaza Strip - Feb 16, 2024
8. Damaged headquarters of UNRWA;

UN Headquarters, New York City - July 26, 2024
9. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to United Nations (ending with shot 10):
"It has been almost two months since Security Council Resolution 2735 was adopted. While certain countries keep asserting that negotiations for a ceasefire are underway, Israel has continued its large-scale military operations over the past two months. The bombings and attacks have not stopped even for a moment, and innocent civilians are dying each and every single day.";

Khan Younis, Gaza Strip - Recent
10. Various of displaced people, destroyed buildings, vehicles; injured person ;being carried through crowd to hospital;

FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown
11. Tian'anmen Rostrum, traffic;

Beijing, China - July 23, 2024
12. Various of closing ceremony of Palestinian factions' reconciliation talks in progress;
13. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, representatives of main Palestinian factions posing for group photos;

UN Headquarters, New York City - July 24, 2024
14. Flags at UN headquarters;
15. UN flag.

[Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland/For news purpose only/No archive/Not for other production use]