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Middle East conflict

Top Chinese diplomat warns against forgetting Gaza because of Ukraine

Wang Yi stressed that "over 70 years have passed since the UN adopted a resolution on the creation of two states, Palestine and Israel, but only half of this decision has been implemented"

BEIJING, February 19. /TASS/. The international community should not forget about the Gaza Strip amid attempts to resolve the Ukraine crisis, Chinese Foreign Ministry Wang Yi said.

"All parties are currently concerned about the Ukrainian crisis but the Ukraine issue is not the only one as there are many other other spots in the world, such as the conflict in Gaza, which also require attention from the international community and should not be pushed into the background," Wang pointed out at a press conference following a UN Security Council meeting on practicing multilateralism and reforming global governance.

The top Chinese diplomat stressed that "over 70 years have passed since the UN adopted a resolution on the creation of two states, Palestine and Israel, but only half of this decision has been implemented." "The state of Israel has long been established but the Palestinian people still don’t have their own country," Wang added.

On January 15, Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas reached an agreement to release the hostages held in Gaza and declare a ceasefire in the enclave. The three-phase deal took effect on January 19. During the initial 42-day phase, Hamas is expected to release 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. A total of 19 hostages have so far returned to Israel.

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