UN calls for cease-fire and release of hostages

A year after Hamas launched attacks on Israel, the United Nations on Monday reiterated calls for the release of all hostages and an immediate cease-fire.

The Palestine-Israel conflict that erupted since that day has expanded across the Middle East, affecting countries such as Lebanon, Yemen, Iran and Syria.

On Monday, the Israeli military announced airstrikes on Hamas positions in Gaza to mark the anniversary of the Oct 7, 2023, attacks. On that day, Hamas fighters infiltrated Israel in an attack that killed more than 1,200 people. More than 200 were taken hostage, with many of them still being held today.

UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang released a statement on Monday calling for "an immediate cease-fire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and a return to dialogue with a view to finding diplomatic solutions to the conflicts in the region".

"I call for all parties — Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah — to abide by their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law. I also urgently call for the protection of civilians and the unimpeded access to the much-needed humanitarian assistance," Yang said.

Also on Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a video message calling on Hamas to release hostages.

"This is a day for the global community to repeat in the loudest voice our utter condemnation of the abhorrent acts of Hamas, including the taking of hostages," he said. "I demand once again the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Until then, Hamas must allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit those hostages."

Guterres did not criticize Israel in his statement, which led some reporters to describe it as "unbalanced" during the news conference.

His spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said Guterres' statement does not contradict what the secretary-general has said since, regarding the Palestinian people and Lebanon. It specifically condemned the Hamas attacks and does not imply any change in the secretary-general's stance, Dujarric added.

Last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared Guterres "persona non grata" in Israel and banned him from entering the country.

The Israeli mission to the UN held a memorial service for victims of the Oct 7, 2023, attacks at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday, and did not invite the UN chief.

At a General Assembly plenary meeting on Monday, Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, said China calls for the "effective respect of the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of all countries, opposes all acts that violate basic norms governing international relations, and condemns all violent attacks against civilians".

"Palestine's long-held aspiration to establish an independent state should not be shunned anymore, and the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people should not be ignored any longer," Fu said.

Regarding the current conflict in Gaza, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a news conference on Tuesday that military means and violence will only build up hatred and make chances of peace even slimmer, and that the top priority is to achieve a cease-fire and provide humanitarian aid.

In addition, the postwar reconstruction of Gaza should follow the basic principle of "the Palestinians governing Palestine", Mao said, adding the two-state solution is a fundamental way out for addressing the Gaza issue.

The legitimate rights of the Palestinian nation should be fulfilled and Israel's reasonable security concerns should also be valued, she said.

"The international community should ... convene a larger, more authoritative and more effective peace conference, and make a timetable and road map for implementing the two-state solution, so that Palestine and Israel will live together in peace, and that the Arab and the Jewish nations will coexist in harmony," she said.

Meanwhile, heavy explosions rocked southern Beirut again on Monday, as Israeli forces continued to bombard Lebanon's capital. A Hezbollah rocket attack on the Israeli city of Haifa injured at least 10 people, Al Jazeera reported.

As Israel-Hezbollah fighting intensified, the China International Development Cooperation Agency said on Tuesday that China will provide emergency medical supplies to Lebanon.

"At the request of the Lebanese government, the Chinese government has decided to provide emergency humanitarian medical supplies to Lebanon to help Lebanon carry out medical assistance," said Li Ming, spokesperson for the agency.

Wang Qingyun in Beijing and Reuters contributed to this story.