A Chinese envoy on Wednesday called on Israel to immediately halt its military operations in Gaza.

The conflict has dragged on for nearly 700 days, plunging the enclave into a humanitarian crisis, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. He noted that about 2 million Gazans remain trapped as a result of the man-made disaster, with more than 1 million people facing emergency food insecurity.