A delegation of Arab and Muslim foreign ministers, demanded on Monday an immediate de-escalation of the war in Gaza, during a trip to China, their first stop on a tour of capitals.

The delegation, which met top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi, includes ministers from the the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Indonesia. They will remain in Beijing until Tuesday.

The group said it will then travel on to other countries to press their case, but the next stop was not immediately clear.

Wang said China has always stood up for the rights and interests of Arab and Muslim countries.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, said Beijing was ready to work closely, to bring about an end to the six-week war between Israel and the Hamas militant group, which rules the Gaza Strip.

Beijing has repeatedly called for a ceasefire, and continues to advocate for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The war erupted on October 7, with Hamas massacring some 1,200 people in southern Is
rael. An air and ground offensive by Israel has killed some 13,000 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

Speaking in the Chinese capital, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri, accused Israel of ‘systematically’ obstructing aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip, according to his spokesman.

Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza, is doing everything it can to facilitate deliveries via the Rafah crossing, Shoukri’s spokesman said, adding that Israel why trying to ‘push’ desperate Palestinians out of Gaza and into Egypt.

Source: Ghana News Agency