RAFAH -- A convoy of 17 trucks carrying humanitarian aid reached the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing on Sunday, before heading to the besieged Gaza Strip which is experiencing a humanitarian crisis due to Israeli airstrikes, Egyptian humanitarians at the border said.

It is the second aid convoy to be sent to Gaza after the first convoy of 20 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies entered the coastal enclave on Saturday.

Sunday's aid consists of food, medical supplies, water, blankets, clothes, shrouds, and other items, Ra'ed el-Gebaly, a volunteer with the Egyptian Food Bank, told Xinhua at the Egyptian side of the crossing.

The trucks, which have been prepared by the National Alliance for Civil Development Work, a coalition of Egyptian NGOs, in coordination with the Egyptian Red Crescent, are set to be delivered to humanitarians of the United Nations, the Palestine Red Crescent Society, and the Red Cross on the Gaza side, relief volunteers said.

"The aid supplies are still so much less than what is needed for a couple of million people besieged in Gaza who lacked basic needs under very difficult conditions," said Abdel-Rahman Habat, basic needs portfolio manager at Cairo-based Life Makers Foundation, an NGO with the National Alliance for Civil Development Work.

"We try to contribute to relieving the suffering of the people of Gaza and we will continue to do so until we cover most of their needs," he added.

About 200 more vehicles were waiting on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing to enter Gaza.

Egypt's El-Arish airport and the Rafah crossing are "the lifelines to the people of Gaza," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said during his visit to Egypt last week.

For two weeks, the Gaza Strip has been under deadly Israeli siege and strikes in retaliation for the attack of the Gaza-controlling Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) against Israel on Oct 7. The Israel-Hamas conflict killed more than 6,000 people on both sides.  

CAIRO - The fundamental way out of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is to implement the two-state solution and establish an independent Palestinian state, China's special envoy on Middle East affairs said on Saturday.

Zhai Jun, special envoy of the Chinese government on the Middle East issue, made the remarks at the Cairo Summit for Peace, called by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to de-escalate the conflict in Gaza.

China follows closely the development of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and is deeply concerned about the sharp escalation of the conflict, which has resulted in massive civilian casualties and a humanitarian crisis, Zhai said.

He noted that China condemns all acts that harm civilians, opposes any violation of international law, and urges the immediate cessation of military operations that could fuel the situation and the opening of corridors for humanitarian relief.

The envoy called on the international community to be objective and impartial on the Palestinian issue and take concrete measures.

Zhai also suggested the United Nations convene a more authoritative, influential, and wide-ranging international peace conference as soon as possible, so as to pool international consensus on promoting peace as well as a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue as early as possible.

The continuous escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict once again proves that the Palestinian issue should not be ignored and forgotten, Zhai said, adding that the fundamental way out of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is to implement the two-state solution and establish an independent Palestinian state for the peaceful co-existence of the Palestinians and Israelis.

China will continue to work with relevant parties of the international community to make unremitting efforts to end the conflict in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible, support the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate rights, implement the two-state solution, and realize lasting peace and security in the Middle East, the Chinese diplomat said.

The summit is attended by leaders and representatives from 31 countries including Egypt, Palestine, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Mauritania, South Africa, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Brazil, and Russia.

Senior officials from the United Nations, the Arab League, the African Union, the European Union, and other international and regional organizations also attended the meeting.

GAZA - The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip has risen to 4,651, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Sunday.

Meanwhile, 14,245 Palestinians were wounded in the coastal enclave, the ministry said in a statement.

Among the victims, 1,873 were children and 1,023 were women, it added.

At least 266 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza in the last 24 hours, Ashraf al-Qedra, the ministry's spokesperson, said in a press statement.

The Israeli airstrikes were triggered by a large-scale Hamas attack on Israeli military targets and towns on Oct 7, which has so far killed at least 1,400 people in Israel.

DAMASCUS -- Renewed Israeli missile strike targeted both international airports in the capital Damascus, and the northern city of Aleppo early Sunday, the Lebanese al-Mayadeen TV news reported.

The report said the Syrian air defense systems responded to the Israeli missile attack on both airports.

Further details are not immediately available.

The attack comes amid growing tension in the region.

GAZA -- At least 60 percent of the population in the Gaza Strip has been displaced as a result of the ongoing Israeli attacks, according to a UN organization.

"About 1.6 million people were forced to be displaced from their houses since the start of the current Hamas-Israel bloody conflict 15 days ago," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a press statement sent to Xinhua on Saturday.

The OCHA said that more than 544,000 people reside in 147 educational districts and schools affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), including 367,500 in central and southern Gaza, and 70,000 in 67 schools not affiliated with UNRWA.

According to the statement, about 101,000 people took refuge in the Orthodox center, churches in Gaza City, hospitals, and other public buildings.

In addition, the Palestinian Ministry of Social Development estimates that there are about 700,000 displaced people with host families.

According to the statement, institutions affiliated with the UNRWA Educational Operations Department in the central and southern regions of the Gaza Strip have become increasingly overcrowded at a time when severe shortages of basic resources such as water, food, and medicine are reported.

In some educational districts, UNRWA was forced to ration drinking water consumption, providing only one liter of water per person per day.

Overcrowding and lack of basic supplies have raised tensions among internally displaced people, along with reports of gender-based violence, according to the statement.

On Oct 19, UNRWA established the first camp for internally displaced people in Khan Yunis, consisting of 60 tents and hosting hundreds of internally displaced people.

The statement said that there was anecdotal evidence that some displaced people were returning to the northern Gaza Strip, due to the ongoing bombing in the southern part of the Palestinian enclave and failure to find reasonable accommodation.

The displacement of civilians and the associated poor access to basic services has raised concerns for the most vulnerable people, including children, the elderly, those in need of medical care, people with disabilities, and pregnant women, the statement noted.

It is feared that they will be exposed to psychological and social distress, conflict and tension among internally displaced people, deprivation of access to information, and the possibility of abuse or exploitation.

Meanwhile, the Israeli forces continued to intensify their strikes on the occupied Gaza Strip.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Friday that 4,137 Palestinians have been killed and more than 13,000 others wounded since the outbreak of Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct 7. More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly in the initial Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct 7.

CAIRO -- An international peace summit kicked off Saturday at Egypt's new administrative capital east of Cairo, where heads of state and ministers from several countries are discussing ways to de-escalate the ongoing Israel-Hamas armed conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Dubbed the Cairo Summit for Peace, the conference was called by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to address de-escalating the conflict in Gaza, pursue a ceasefire, and seek a resolution to the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict via a "two-state solution."

"Egypt condemns the terrorization of civilians and expresses its astonishment at the world's response to a humanitarian crisis in Gaza," Sisi said in his speech at the opening of the summit.

The Egyptian president rejected the displacement of Palestinians to Egyptian lands, affirming that liquidating the Palestinian issue without a just solution "will never happen and will not happen at Egypt's expense."

Sisi stressed that a comprehensive and just solution to the Palestinian issue on the basis of "the two-state solution" must be reached.

The summit is attended by some 30 Arab and Western leaders including the Palestinian president, the king of Jordan, the emir of Qatar, the president of the United Arab Emirates, the Italian prime minister, the Spanish prime minister, the Greek prime minister, the Cypriot president, and the Canadian prime minister.

The president of the European Council, the high representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the United Nations secretary-general and the special envoy of the Chinese government on the Middle East issue are also attending.

Since Oct 7, Hamas and Israel have engaged in a bloody confrontation, leading to more than 5,000 deaths on both sides.

GAZA -- Twenty trucks loaded with humanitarian aid entered Gaza on Saturday through the Rafah crossing, the only border crossing between the besieged coastal enclave and Egypt, after a two-week blockade.

The trucks were loaded with medical aid donated by Egypt's institutions of the National Alliance for Civil Development Work and the Egyptian Red Crescent, Aya Ahmed, public relations officer of Life Makers Foundation, told Xinhua.

"Such a limited convoy will not be able to change the humanitarian catastrophe that the Gaza Strip is experiencing," said Salama Maarouf, head of the Hamas-run government media office in Gaza, in a statement sent to Xinhua.

It is important to establish a safe corridor that works around the clock to provide humanitarian aid and allow the wounded to receive appropriate medical care that is lacking in Gaza, Maarouf said.

The latest round of Hamas-Israel conflict started on Oct 7, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli military targets and towns adjacent to the Gaza Strip, prompting extensive Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.

The bloody confrontation has killed more than 5,000 people on both sides.

Zhai Jun, China's special envoy on the Middle East issue, arrived in Qatar on Thursday, the first leg of his tour in the region aimed at gathering consensus and aligning efforts to cool down tensions between Palestinians and Israelis.

Zhai held a series of talks in Doha, including with Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia's deputy foreign minister and special presidential representative for the Middle East and Africa, and Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi, Qatar's minister of state at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the talks, Zhai expressed China's willingness to communicate and coordinate with relevant parties to promote the de-escalation of the conflict and the end to hostilities, as well as resuming peace talks.

"The fundamental reason for the current situation in the conflict is that the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people have not been guaranteed," Zhai told Bogdanov.

Noting that China and Russia hold the same position regarding the Middle East issue, Zhai said Beijing is willing to work with Moscow to implement the two-state solution and push for an early, comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the issue.

Bogdanov said Russia is willing to work with China to promote cease-fire and create conditions to bring the Palestinian question back on track, Bogdanov added.

When speaking to Khulaifi, Zhai said Qatar wields significant influence over the Israeli-Palestinian issue and China is willing to coordinate with Qatar to play a constructive role in easing the tension.

Khulaifi said Qatar is engaging in mediation and values China's role, and is willing to enhance communication with Beijing.

In another development, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday that more than 1,000 Chinese citizens have left Israel and have returned to China or traveled to a third country since the outbreak of the conflict on Oct 7.

zhoujin@chinadaily.com.cn

GAZA -- At least 18 Palestinian Christians were killed by an Israeli airstrike that took place near a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza City on Thursday evening, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

The ministry said last night, dozens of Christian casualties arrived in al-Shifaa hospital following an attack targeting a place near the Church of Saint Porphyrius, which led to the falling over of a wall of the church and injured the Christians taking shelter inside.

In a press statement sent to Xinhua, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry said that "more than 400 people, Christians and Muslims, were taking shelter at the church in a bid to avoid the Israeli airstrikes."

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Friday that its fighter jets on Thursday night targeted the command and control center belonging to Hamas militants, from where rockets and mortars toward Israel were launched.

The IDF confirmed that its strike damaged a wall of a nearby church, adding that "we are aware of reports of casualties, and the incident is under review."

It unequivocally stated that "the church was not the target of the strike," noting that "Hamas intentionally embeds its assets in civilian areas."

The IDF also called on the residents in northern Gaza to evacuate in accordance with its instructions so as to minimize harm to civilians.

On Oct 7, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) launched a surprise attack on Israeli military targets and towns adjacent to the Gaza Strip, prompting extensive Israeli airstrikes on Gaza.

The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, as it entered the 14th day, has killed more than 5,000 people on both sides.

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have condemned all attacks against civilians and called for "a durable cease-fire" as the Middle East conflict intensifies.

In a joint statement issued Oct 2020 during the inaugural ASEAN-GCC Summit in Riyadh, ASEAN and GCC leaders have called for the "most effective and efficient" access for humanitarian aid; the restoration of electricity and water services; and to allow the unhindered delivery of fuel, food and medicine throughout Gaza.

This was the first time that ASEAN has issued a statement since Hamas militants launched a surprise attack against Israel on Oct 7. ASEAN members, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, have earlier issued their individual statement on the issue.

As Israeli defense minister indicated an upcoming a ground invasion into Gaza, ASEAN leaders have called for the immediate and unconditional release of civilian hostages and to refrain from targeting civilians in accordance with the principles and provisions of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949.

Southeast Asian governments, specifically the Philippines and Thailand, are busy evacuating their citizens working in Israel. The Philippine embassy in Tel-Aviv has helped 17 workers get home but the majority of the over 30,000 Filipinos in Israel have decided to stay, according to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said 8,160 Thais have registered for voluntary repatriation.

ASEAN and GCC leaders also urged for a peaceful resolution to the conflict with a view to realizing the two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders. They also support the initiatives of Saudi Arabia, the European Union and the League of Arab States to revive the Middle East peace process in cooperation with Egypt and Jordan.

prime@chinadailyapac.com

CAIRO -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed on Thursday with visiting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ways to de-escalate the Israel-Hamas conflict and arrangements for the humanitarian aid delivery to the besieged Gaza Strip.

In a joint press conference following their meeting in Cairo, Shoukry said that he discussed with Guterres "the unprecedented escalation" of the ongoing conflict, echoing the UN's call for an immediate cease-fire.

The talks came a day after Israel agreed to allow some humanitarian aid provided by Egypt, other countries and organizations into Gaza via the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Palestinian enclave, which is suffering a complete siege by Israel, and a lack of basic services and constant bombardment.

The Egyptian side of the crossing has many trucks loaded with tons of aid supplies recently donated by several countries and the World Health Organization waiting to cross into Gaza on Friday, according to Egypt's Al-Qahera News.

A Cairo peace summit, convened by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and will be attended by Guterres, is scheduled for Saturday, working on reaching de-escalation and cease-fire and reaffirming the importance of humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza, said Shoukry.

The Egyptian top diplomat described Israel's targeting of humanitarian staff and premises as "a flagrant violation of the international humanitarian law."

For his part, Guterres said that "for nearly two weeks, the people of Gaza are going without any shipments of fuel, food, water, medicine and other essentials."

The UN chief referred to Egypt's El Arish airport and the Rafah crossing as "our only hope," adding "they are the lifelines to the people of Gaza."

Guterres also called on Hamas for an immediate and unconditional release of hostages, and called on Israel to allow immediate and unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid "to respond to the most basic needs of the people of Gaza."

The UN chief said that the Palestinian legitimate grievances over 56 years of occupation do not justify Hamas' attacks on Israel, and those attacks do not justify Israel's collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

The Gaza-controlling Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) carried out deadly attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, in which Hamas also took 200 to 250 Israeli hostages, prompting retaliatory Israeli strikes in Gaza and a full siege of the enclave, leading to a humanitarian crisis.

On the day the Israeli-Palestinian conflict erupted again, 34 student groups from Harvard University jointly published an open anonymous letter accusing Israel of decades-long illegal occupation of Palestinian land and alleging that it was "entirely responsible"  for all violent events. The letter quickly drew criticism, with student organization members labeled as antisemitic. Personal information of the student group members was "doxxed", or made publicly known, and their families received threats.

In addition, Wall Street tycoons and industry leaders said they would never hire students involved. One student said "people's lives being ruined, people's careers being ruined, people's fellowships being ruined".

WASHINGTON -- A US State Department official working in the bureau that oversees US arms transfer to foreign nations has resigned in protest of the Joe Biden administration's "blind support" for Israel in its ongoing conflict with Hamas.

Josh Paul, who has worked in the department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs for more than 11 years, said in his resignation letter dated Wednesday that he decided to leave because he couldn't agree with his country's "continued - indeed, expanded and expedited - provision of lethal arms to Israel."

Paul said while he wanted to make his opinion clear to all that Hamas' attack on Israel "was a monstrosity of monstrosities," he also believed that "the response Israel is taking, and with it the American support both for that response, and for the status quo of the occupation, will only lead to more and deeper suffering for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people."

"This Administration's response - and much of Congress' as well - is an impulsive reaction built on confirmation bias, political convenience, intellectual bankruptcy, and bureaucratic inertia. That is to say, it is immensely disappointing, and entirely unsurprising," he wrote.

"The fact is, blind support for one side is destructive in the long term to the interests of the people on both sides," he continued. "I fear we are repeating the same mistakes we have made these past decades, and I decline to be a part of it for longer."

"I cannot work in support of a set of major policy decisions, including rushing more arms to one side of the conflict, that I believe to be shortsighted, destructive, unjust and contradictory to the very values we publicly espouse," Paul wrote.

The State Department declined to comment on Paul's resignation, according to multiple US media reports, telling those seeking a response that the agency would not discuss personnel matters.

Since the start of the current conflict, the Biden administration has been repeating its stance that Israel has not only the right, but also the obligation to defend itself and protect its people.

The administration has promised full support for Israel, vowing to provide whatever the country needs to prosecute the war against Hamas. It has sent two carrier strike groups to waters near Israel as a deterrence and put some 2,000 troops on high alert for deployment - possibly into Israeli territory.

Biden is scheduled to address the nation in a televised speech from the White House during prime time on Thursday evening, using the occasion to sell to the American people his approach to conflicts in Israel and Ukraine.

During the much-anticipated speech, the president is expected to announce his administration's request for Congress to pass a supplement spending bill that will provide 10 billion US dollars in emergency assistance for Israel and 60 billion dollars for Ukraine's conflict with Russia, according to media reports citing people familiar with the decision.

China's top envoy to the United Nations on Wednesday strongly condemned attacks on civilians and civilian facilities amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

At least 471 Palestinians were killed and more than 314 wounded in a blast at the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday night, said the Gaza-based Health Ministry on Wednesday.

China is "shocked by the attack" on the hospital, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN.

"We strongly condemn this heinous attack. The protection of civilians in armed conflict is a red line under international humanitarian law," he said at a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday.

"Civilians and civilian facilities, such as hospitals and schools, should not and must not be targeted by military operations; the indiscriminate use of force is unacceptable; and the safety of humanitarian and medical workers must be guaranteed," said Zhang.

The Health Ministry reported that 1,300 people are missing, including 600 children, in the hospital blast, which Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other.

Zhang called on Israel to lift the "complete siege" of Gaza and urged for an immediate cease-fire.

"We urge Israel to effectively comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law," Zhang said.

The Palestinian death toll since Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes in Gaza stands at 3,478, with the number of wounded reaching 12,065, according to the ministry.

Israel imposed a "complete siege" of the Palestinian enclave on the third day following a deadly attack in southern Israel by the Islamist Palestinian group Hamas on Oct 7. Some 1,300 people in Israel were killed in the attacks launched by Hamas.

"Under the current circumstances, there is no time to lose in protecting the safety of civilians, carrying out humanitarian relief and preventing a humanitarian disaster," Zhang said.

"We call on Israel to lift the complete siege of Gaza, rescind the emergency evacuation orders and stop the airstrikes around the Rafah crossing," said Zhang.

Zhang warned that if the current fighting in Gaza is allowed to continue, the end result will "not be a complete military victory for either side, but probably a catastrophe that will engulf the entire region and could completely bury the prospects for a two-state solution, plunging the Palestinian and Israeli peoples into a vicious cycle of hatred and confrontation".

"There are no winners in war, and responding to violence with violence can only lead to a more serious crisis. There must be an immediate cease-fire, abandon military means and return to the track of dialogue and negotiation," Zhang said.

He emphasized that any violence and attacks against civilians should be rejected. "Both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples have the right to be free from fear, and their security should be equally protected," he said.

International humanitarian law must be respected, the basic needs of the population of Gaza should be safeguarded, humanitarian corridors should be opened immediately, and detainees should be released, Zhang said.

"A comprehensive, just and lasting solution should be sought on the basis of international consensus, including the relevant United Nations resolutions, in order to achieve peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel," he said.

The UN Security Council has no reason to remain silent and no excuse for continued procrastination, said Zhang. "China does not agree with the claim that action by the council will interfere with ongoing diplomatic efforts," he said.

The United States on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have called for "humanitarian pauses" to deliver lifesaving aid to millions in Gaza. The resolution, led by Brazil, received 12 votes in favor, one against from the US, and two abstentions from Russia and the UK.

The council's failure to make its first public intervention on the Israeli-Palestinian issue came after the rejection of a Russian-backed draft on Monday evening.

China feels "shocked and disappointed that the draft resolution failed to be adopted", Zhang said.

The Russian-backed draft "was supported and co-sponsored by many Arab countries", said Zhang. However, some countries were against it and said that they wanted more time to seek consensus on the basis of the draft resolution tabled by Brazil, he said.

"In the past 40 hours, those countries have neither commented on nor expressed opposition to the Brazilian draft, which led us to expect that today hopefully the council would be able to adopt the resolution. The final result is unbelievable," Zhang said.

"The way they voted only makes us question their willingness to let the council take any actions and their sincerity to find a solution to the problem. In the final analysis, the council cannot stand still," the envoy said.

CAIRO - Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Wednesday that the Egyptian government and Egyptian Red Crescent will supervise the delivery of aid to the besieged Gaza Strip in coordination with the United Nations.

"Cairo's goal is to accelerate the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip," Shoukry was quoted by Alarabiya News as saying.

Over the past few days, tons of aid supplies from Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, and the World Health Organization have arrived at the Rafah border crossing, waiting for access to the Palestinian coastal enclave from the Egyptian side.

Earlier on Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi expressed Egypt's firm support for the Palestinian people and a strong rejection of any attempts to relocate them to Egypt's adjacent Sinai Peninsula.

On the same day, Israel's wartime cabinet decided to allow basic humanitarian aid from Egypt into the Gaza Strip, which Shoukry described as "a positive development".

The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Oct 7 showered Israel with thousands of rockets in a rare surprise attack, to which Israel responded with massive airstrikes on Gaza and punitive measures, including a siege on the enclave with supplies of water, electricity, fuel, and other necessities being cut off.

The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, as it entered the 12th day, has killed more than 4,000 people on both sides.

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday met with US President Joe Biden in Israel, where they agreed on "unprecedented" US military assistance to Israel in its ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In a broadcast statement, Netanyahu said that he and Biden, who arrived in the morning for a brief visit to Israel, agreed on "actions and cooperation that guarantees the continuation of our just war".

Biden, who travelled back to Washington in the afternoon after a pre-scheduled four-way Arab summit in Jordan was canceled, said during his brief stay that Pentagon intelligence indicates that the blast on the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital on Tuesday was caused by "the other team" and not an Israeli airstrike. The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said Israeli airstrikes caused the explosion in the hospital that killed at least 471.

Israel released intercepted communications between two Hamas operatives discussing how the hospital was struck by a failed rocket fire.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Daniel Hagari presented the audio recording during a press briefing, denying Israeli responsibility for the blast and accusing the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) of a failed rocket launch.

In the audio, two individuals can be heard conversing in Arabic over a phone call. During the conversation, one person informs the other that the explosion resulted from a rocket misfire by the PIJ, an armed group in Gaza.

According to Hagari, the failed rocket, carrying an ignited propellant load, was fired from near the hospital.

He also presented aerial photos and infrared images of the explosion's location, collected by the Israeli military. "Analysis of our aerial footage confirms that there was no direct hit on the hospital itself," he said.

According to Hagari, since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, militants in Gaza carried out 450 failed rocket launches.

Israel's wartime cabinet announced on Wednesday it will allow a limited humanitarian aid to enter Gaza through Egypt's border. Netanyahu's office announced in a statement that "Israel will not obstruct humanitarian supplies from Egypt as long as they consist of only food, water, and medicine for the civilians located in the southern Gaza Strip", warning "any supplies that reach Hamas will be thwarted".

In addition, the cabinet stated that Israel demands to allow visits by the Red Cross to the hostages held by Hamas.

Hamas on Oct 7 showered Israel with thousands of rockets in a rare surprise attack, to which Israel responded with massive airstrikes on Gaza and punitive measures, including a siege on the enclave with supplies of water, electricity, fuel, and other necessities being cut off.

Over the past few days, tons of aid supplies from Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, and the World Health Organization have arrived at the Rafah border crossing, waiting for access to the Palestinian coastal enclave from the Egyptian side.

Earlier on Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi expressed Egypt's firm support for the Palestinian people and a strong rejection of any attempts to relocate them to Egypt's adjacent Sinai Peninsula.

Meanwhile, violence along the Israeli-Lebanese border has continued to escalate on Wednesday. The Israeli military said that militants in Lebanon launched rockets and anti-tank missiles at Israeli communities near the border. The Israeli military responded with fire toward the origins of the shootings, the military said in a statement, adding that an Israeli military drone thwarted "a terrorist cell which fired mortar shells toward the area of Turmus".

Following the hospital blast, thousands of Egyptians on Wednesday held demonstrations in the capital Cairo and other provinces to show their solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Protests also took place in Iran, Lebanon, Jordan and Tunisia to condemn Israel's attacks on Gaza. Lebanese and Palestinian demonstrators clashed with security forces near the US embassy in Awkar, north of Beirut, resulting in several injuries.

The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, now in its twelfth day, has killed more than 4,000 people on both sides.

UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was horrified by the killing of hundreds of civilians following a strike on a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday.

In a tweet, the top UN official strongly condemned the strike. Saying his heart is "with the families of those who died", he stressed that hospitals and all medical personnel are protected under international law.

He also condemned an attack earlier on Tuesday on a school run by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which killed at least six people, his spokesperson said in a statement.

Al Ahli Arab Hospital was operational, with patients, health and caregivers, and internally displaced people sheltering there, the World Health Organization said in a statement.

It was one of 20 hospitals in the north of the Gaza Strip facing evacuation orders from the Israeli military.

The Health Ministry in the Hamas-governed territory accused the Israeli military of launching an airstrike on the hospital in Gaza City.

On the other hand, the Israeli Defense Forces said that based on their intelligence data, the damage was caused by rockets launched by Islamic Jihad militants towards Israel that had gone astray.

Displaced civilians were reportedly seeking shelter at the hospital, following Israel's order to evacuate to the south in advance of what is expected to be a ground assault.

Gaza has a population of roughly 2 million and the crisis has displaced some 600,000 people, many of whom have sought safety in hospitals which are already overwhelmed with rising casualties and deaths.

The United Nations said that essential supplies such as food, water, and vital health medications are depleting in Gaza. Out of 35 hospitals, four are inoperable because of significant damage and direct targeting.

GENEVA - United Nations (UN) human rights chief Volker Turk on Tuesday night issued a statement saying that the massive strike at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City that killed hundreds of people is totally unacceptable.

"Words fail me. Tonight, hundreds of people were killed - horrifically - in a massive strike at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, including patients, healthcare workers and families that had been seeking refuge in and around the hospital," he said in the statement.

According to Palestinian sources, at least 500 Palestinians were killed. Local eyewitnesses told Xinhua that a rocket hit the hospital, with a huge explosion ripping through its premises.

"We don't yet know the full scale of this carnage, but what is clear is that the violence and killings must stop at once," Turk said, adding that all countries with influence must do everything in their power to bring an end to this situation.

"Civilians must be protected, and humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those in need as a matter of urgency," he stressed.

According to media reports, at least six people were also killed Tuesday afternoon when a UN school was hit in a refugee camp in Gaza's middle area. The school had been serving as a shelter for some 4,000 people seeking refuge.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday night also issued a statement on the attack on Al Ahli Arab Hospital and reported large-scale casualties, strongly condemning the attack.

WHO stressed that the hospital was operational, with patients, healthcare workers, and internally displaced people sheltering there.

WHO said that the hospital was one of 20 in the north of the Gaza Strip facing evacuation orders from the Israeli military. The order for evacuation has been impossible to carry out given the current insecurity, critical condition of many patients, and lack of ambulances, staff, health system bed capacity, and alternative shelter for those displaced.

WHO calls for the immediate active protection of civilians and healthcare workers, stressing that evacuation orders must be reversed, and the international humanitarian law must be abided by, which means healthcare must be actively protected and never targeted.

In a news comment issued Tuesday night, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was shocked and horrified by reports that Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza was destroyed and hundreds were killed.

"Hospitals should be sanctuaries to preserve human life, not scenes of death and destruction. No patient should be killed in a hospital bed. No doctors should lose their lives while trying to save others. Hospitals must be protected under international humanitarian law," it said.

China's top envoy to the United Nations on Monday called for an immediate cease-fire in the Palestine-Israel conflict to prevent it from escalating and also condemned actions that harm civilians or violate international law.

"China is deeply concerned about the continued escalation of the new round of the Palestine-Israel conflict, which has led to large-scale civilian casualties and a humanitarian crisis and whose spillover effects are also affecting regional peace and stability," said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN.

"We condemn all acts that harm civilians and oppose any violation of international law. We support the responsible role of the Security Council and all efforts aimed at de-escalating the conflict and restoring peace and we welcome any initiative that is conducive to the protection of civilians and the alleviation of humanitarian crises," Zhang said at a UN Security Council meeting on a draft resolution on the situation in Palestine and Israel.

The Security Council on Monday rejected a Russian-drafted resolution that would have called for "an immediate, durable and fully respected humanitarian cease-fire" and "strongly condemns all violence and hostilities directed against civilians and all acts of terrorism".

Five Security Council members voted in favor of the draft resolution, four members voted against it, and six members abstained. The resolution did not secure the necessary nine votes in the 15-member body, leading to its failure.

"The Security Council bears the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and should play its due role in resolving the current crisis. The international community also generally expects the council to forge a consensus and come up with practical initiatives as soon as possible," said Zhang.

"Russia has proposed a draft resolution that reflects the general direction of focusing on humanitarian concerns and the protection of civilians," he said. "We greatly regret that the Security Council was unable to reach an agreement on it. Humanitarian issues should not be politicized, and the protection of civilians should be a priority for all parties."

Zhang said the protection of civilians in armed conflict is a red line under international humanitarian law.

Diplomatic mediation

The safety of UN staff members and humanitarian workers should be guaranteed, Zhang added. "China supported the use of diplomatic mediation to secure the early release of detainees," he said.

More than 4,100 people have been killed in the conflict that began on Oct 7. The Gaza Health Ministry said 2,778 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 wounded. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, and at least 199 others, including children, were captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza, according to Israel.

US President Joe Biden was expected to visit Israel on Wednesday to show support after Washington said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to let humanitarian aid reach besieged Gazans.

Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts in resolving the conflict have been stepped up. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas discussed the latest developments in Gaza during a phone call with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed on Monday the possibility of releasing hostages during a phone conversation with Politburo Chief of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Ismail Haniyeh.

Tunisian Parliament Speaker Ibrahim Bouderbala called on the international community to intervene immediately to stop the conflict.

Egyptian aid trucks moved closer on Tuesday to the only entry to Gaza not controlled by Israel, Reuters quoted local and security sources as saying. It was unclear when they might pass through the crossing, which had been shut for days. Some 160 trucks had set off toward the border from the nearby Egyptian town of Al-Arish, where they had been waiting, Reuters reported.

Agencies and Xinhua contributed to this story.

China's top envoy to the United Nations on Monday called for an immediate cease-fire in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to prevent it from escalating and also condemned actions that harm civilians or violate international law.

"China is deeply concerned about the continued escalation of the new round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which has led to large-scale civilian casualties and a humanitarian crisis and whose spillover effects are also affecting regional peace and stability," said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN.

"We condemn all acts that harm civilians and oppose any violation of international law. We support the responsible role of the Security Council and all efforts aimed at de-escalating the conflict and restoring peace and we welcome any initiative that is conducive to the protection of civilians and the alleviation of humanitarian crises," Zhang said at a UN Security Council meeting on a draft resolution on the situation in Palestine and Israel.

The UN Security Council on Monday rejected a Russian-drafted resolution that would have called for "an immediate, durable and fully respected humanitarian cease-fire" and "strongly condemns all violence and hostilities directed against civilians and all acts of terrorism".

Five Security Council members voted in favor of the draft resolution, four members voted against it, and six members abstained. The resolution did not secure the necessary nine votes in the 15-member body, leading to its failure.

"The Security Council bears the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and should play its due role in resolving the current crisis. The international community also generally expects the council to forge a consensus and come up with practical initiatives as soon as possible," said Zhang.

"Russia has proposed a draft resolution that reflects the general direction of focusing on humanitarian concerns and the protection of civilians," he said. "We greatly regret that the Security Council was unable to reach agreement on it. Humanitarian issues should not be politicized, and the protection of civilians should be a priority for all parties.

"When the council has dealt with complex issues in the past, the humanitarian sphere has often been the starting point. Conflicts are still spreading, and suffering continues. The council should not abandon its efforts in that regard," the envoy said.

Regarding the current situation, Zhang said, "China calls for a cease-fire and an end to the fighting as soon as possible in order to prevent the fighting from spreading indefinitely and to avoid further deterioration of the situation."

Zhang emphasized that military means are "not the way out, and responding to violence with violence will only lead to an endless vicious circle".

"China calls on the countries concerned to be objective and impartial, to put the brakes on large-scale conflicts and humanitarian disasters, and to avoid further impacts on regional and international security," he said.

"China calls for compliance with international humanitarian law and for all efforts to be made to ensure the safety of civilians," the envoy said.

Zhang said the protection of civilians in armed conflict is a red line under international humanitarian law.

"Civilians should not be the target of military operations; the indiscriminate use of force is unacceptable; and the maintenance of one's own security cannot be achieved at the expense of innocent civilians," he said.

The safety of UN staff and humanitarian workers should be guaranteed, Zhang added. "China supported the use of diplomatic mediation to secure the early release of detainees," he said.

"We are gravely concerned about the consequences of Israel's total blockade and its ordering of an emergency evacuation of the population in the north, and we hope that Israel will listen to the voices of the international community, resume the supply of water, electricity and fuel to Gaza, and stop the collective punishment of the population of Gaza," he said.

"We support the opening of a humanitarian corridor as soon as possible to ensure the smooth and timely delivery of food, medicine and humanitarian relief supplies. We appreciate the efforts being made by Egypt and other countries concerned," Zhang said.

"At the same time, China calls on the international community to increase its input and support the continued work of UN humanitarian agencies in Gaza. China will provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip through the United Nations and bilateral channels," he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has emphasized that the fundamental way to resolve the question of Palestine lies in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, said Zhang.

"History has repeatedly proved that the fundamental reason for the repeated instability in the Palestinian-Israeli situation is that the basis of the two-state solution has been continuously eroded, the Middle East peace process has been diverted from the right track, and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations have not been effectively implemented," Zhang said.

Zhang called on the international community to go beyond piecemeal crisis management, adhere to the fundamental direction of the two-state solution and make greater efforts to reach a comprehensive and lasting solution to the conflict.