"Top Priority Is To End War": US, China Discuss Israel-Hamas Conflict

US State Secretary Antony Blinken on Wednesday held a telephonic conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and reiterated the need for all parties to work together to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spreading.

According to US State Department, the secretary discussed "his recent travel in the Middle East and US diplomatic efforts in the region. The Secretary reiterated the imperative of all parties working to prevent the conflict from spreading."

Underscoring the Houthi attacks on commercial vessels, Secretary Antony Blinken further underscored that the recent Houthi attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea pose an "unacceptable threat to maritime security and international law that all nations have an obligation to uphold."

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed the need to cease fire and end the war soon.

"The top priority is to cease fire and end the war as soon as possible," he said.

"Major countries must adhere to fairness and justice, uphold objectivity and impartiality, demonstrate calm and rationality, and make every effort to cool down the situation and prevent larger-scale humanitarian disasters," Wang said, according to the foreign ministry.

He further reiterated Beijing's calls for a two-state solution to the conflict and said, "any arrangement involving the future of Palestine must reflect the will of the Palestinian people."

"China is willing to work with all parties to make efforts to this end," he added.

Moreover, the US and China emphasised the importance of building upon the progress made on key issues at the summit held in November in Woodside, California, between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

According to the latest update, the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum, in a letter to the war cabinet, emphasised that the lives of some of those held in Gaza are in immediate danger, as reported by The Times of Israel.

"We received solid intelligence that there are abductees whose condition has deteriorated and there is now immediate danger to their lives," the letter said, adding, "We demand that you act urgently, with initiative and creativity, to reach a deal for the immediate release of all the hostages."

The letter, which included expert testimony from Prof Hagai Levine, head of the medical team at the forum, said that at least a third of those held in Gaza have preexisting conditions that require regular medical treatment.

It further said that, without care, some of them may be in life-threatening danger, or have irreversible damage.

Adding to this, many of the hostages were injured and suffered gunshot wounds, lost limbs and shrapnel wounds, which, if left untreated, could lead to risk of life, complications, disabilities and suffering.

Moreover, these hostages were also being tortured, physically and mentally, and deprived of adequate food, according to The Times of Israel.

A meeting was held on Tuesday between a group of recently released hostages and family members of those still held in Gaza, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the other members of the war cabinet.

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