The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Sunday called on all parties, "Israel in particular," to exercise calm and restraint to de-escalate the recent tensions between Palestine and Israel.

Amid escalating violence in the region, Israeli forces on Thursday killed at least nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, during a raid in the occupied West Bank, and a Palestinian shooter killed seven Israelis and wounded three others in a settlement in East Jerusalem on Friday night.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said China condemns all terrorist attacks targeting civilians and opposes excessive use of force.

"The pressing priority is to do everything possible to de-escalate the situation and call on all parties, Israel in particular, to show calm and restraint in order to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control," said the spokesperson.

Thursday's raid was the deadliest in years in the West Bank, where clashes have worsened for months. More than 170 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank in 2022, and at least 29 have been killed since the start of the year, data from the Palestinian Health Ministry showed. According to the United Nations, 2022 was the deadliest year for Palestinians since 2006.

The Palestine-Israel conflict has been recurring fundamentally because the two-state solution has not been delivered, said the spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, adding that the Palestinian people have "long been denied their legitimate aspiration of establishing an independent state."

The spokesperson called on the international community to act with a stronger sense of urgency and create conditions for the resumption of talks between Palestine and Israel.

"China will continue to work hard for a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question," said the spokesperson.

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