Chinese envoy calls for lasting Gaza cease-fire to resolve Red Sea crisis

China's ambassador to the United Nations urged on Thursday for a lasting cease-fire in Gaza, emphasizing that the Red Sea crisis is a spillover of the Gaza conflict. He reiterated the need to address the violence in Gaza so as to stabilize the region and ensure maritime safety.

"The current tension in the Red Sea is one of the manifestations of the spillover of the Gaza conflict. An immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza will help cool down the situation in Yemen and the Red Sea," Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, told a Security Council meeting on the Red Sea crisis.

China urges the Houthis to respect international navigation laws, listen to the voice of the international community and abide by the requirements of relevant Security Council resolutions. The Houthis also should stop harassing civilian ships and maintain the safety of waterways in the Red Sea, Geng said.

The Red Sea has played a crucial role in global trade, as it accounts for about 10 percent of seaborne trade globally. Since mid-November, the Houthis have launched a series of attacks against commercial and military ships in the region to pressure Israel to end its military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2722 in January, calling for the cessation of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea region and recognizing the right to defend ships from such attacks. China, Algeria, Russia and Mozambique abstained from voting because the resolution did not link a cease-fire in Gaza to resolving the Red Sea issue.

China abstained from voting as its main concern is that the resolution is "ambiguous on several key issues", which may have "negative consequences and lead to further escalation of regional tensions", said Geng, noting that some countries have taken military action against Yemen since Resolution 2722 was adopted.

The Security Council on Thursday adopted a new resolution extending the monthly reporting requirement for the secretary-general on attacks by the Houthi rebel group in Yemen on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

It was originally set to expire on July 1, but was extended for another six months until Jan 15, 2025. The resolution also renewed the call to halt Houthi attacks.

Firm stance

Geng said Thursday's resolution is a "technical extension of Resolution 2722". Based on the continuity of China's position and the developments since the adoption of Resolution 2722, China will abstain from voting again, he said.

Also on Thursday, Israel stormed a neighborhood in Gaza City, ordering Palestinians to move south as tanks rolled in and bombed the southern city of Rafah in what it says are the final stages of an operation against Hamas militants there.

Residents of the Shejaia neighborhood in Gaza City said they were surprised by the sound of tanks approaching and firing in the afternoon, with drones also attacking after overnight bombing of the city.

Later on Thursday, the Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said Israeli military strikes had killed at least seven people in Shejaia so far.

Israeli authorities said 68 people — 19 sick or wounded children and their companions — have been allowed out of the Gaza Strip and into Egypt in the first medical evacuation since early May.

In a news conference at Nasser Hospital, Mohammed Zaqout, head of Gaza's hospitals, said more than 25,000 patients in Gaza require treatment abroad.

He said the cases included in Thursday's evacuation are "a drop in the ocean".

Agencies contributed to this story.