The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday that more than 1,000 Chinese citizens have left Israel for China or a third country after the conflict between Palestine and Israel broke out on October 7, as preliminary statistics have shown.

Mao Ning, spokeswoman for the ministry, told a regular press conference in Beijing that all of the more than 280 Chinese citizens that had been trapped in Sderot, southern Israel in the immediate aftermath of the conflict have been evacuated, thanks to the ministry's assistance and efforts. Some of them have returned to China on commercial flights, Mao added.

"We will continue to do our best to assist Chinese citizens," she said.

(Cover: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning. /Chinese Foreign Ministry)