China is willing to work with Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries to continue to support Palestine's just cause of restoring national rights and push the Palestinian question back to the right track of the "two-state solution" to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting solution, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when talking with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud over the phone.

China opposes and condemns all acts that harm civilians as they violate basic human conscience and basic norms of international law, Wang noted.

Israel's actions have gone beyond the scope of self-defense, Wang said, urging the country to listen to the calls of the international community and the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General to stop punishing the people of Gaza.

Wang called on all parties to avoid any acts to escalate the tension and return to negotiation as soon as possible. "China is communicating intensively with all parties to promote a ceasefire," he said.

Noting that the pressing priority is to make every effort to ensure the safety of civilians, Wang urged efforts to open humanitarian relief channels at an early date, and safeguard the basic needs of the people of Gaza.

"All peace-loving countries should stand up for justice and urge the implementation of the 'two-state solution' as soon as possible," he said.

Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, for his part, expressed his deep concerns over the current situation, condemning all acts that harm civilians and opposing Israel's forcible relocation of Gaza residents outside the region.

Stressing the need to deliver humanitarian supplies to the people of Gaza as soon as possible, he called on the international community to work together to avoid the conflict from expanding to other countries.

The Saudi side believes that if relevant UN Security Council resolutions are not implemented, the Palestinian question cannot be resolved in a just and lasting manner, he said.

Hailing China's important role in promoting world peace and stability, the Saudi foreign minister vowed to work with China to push all parties to abide by international humanitarian law, protect civilians from harm, and implement relevant Security Council resolutions on the Palestinian question.

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(Cover: Smoke plumes rising above buildings during an Israeli strike on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, October 14, 2023. /CFP)