China will help citizens leave Israel-Gaza war zone ‘if their safety is guaranteed’

Foreign ministry urges Chinese nationals to remain ‘highly vigilant, prepare for emergencies’ and to shelter in place
Beijing has yet to release details of casualties and says it’s trying to verify information about two workers reported to have been killed

Israel-Gaza war

Zhao Ziwen

Published: 8:00pm, 10 Oct 2023

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As the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas entered a fourth day, China said it would help its citizens leave the war zone “if their safety is guaranteed”.

Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Tuesday also said Chinese nationals in the region should remain “highly vigilant, strengthen security precautions, prepare for emergencies”, and advised that they shelter in place.

There have been reports of missing workers circulating on Chinese social media, but Beijing has yet to release details of citizens killed or injured in the conflict.

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“From what we have learned, the injured Chinese citizens are receiving treatment in hospital and are generally in stable condition,” Wang said.

He said Beijing was still trying to verify information about two Chinese workers reported to have been killed in Sderot near the Gaza border.

The Organisation for Assistance to Chinese Businesses in Israel told the Post that four Chinese workers were missing and two of them had been killed.

China’s embassy in Israel said that a Chinese worker had been wounded by a stray bullet near Ashkelon in southern Israel. It also confirmed that Beijing-born Chinese-Israeli woman Noa Argamani was abducted by Hamas militants during the attack on a music festival near the Gaza border.

Chinese citizens have been urged not to travel to the region, with advisories warning that those who do may “expose themselves to very high security risks”.

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China has not condemned Hamas or offered its backing to Israel.

At an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Sunday, Chinese ambassador Zhang Jun said Beijing “condemned all violence and attacks against civilians” and that “all parties should refrain from attacks on and destruction of civilians and civilian facilities”.

During a meeting with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday, US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticised China for not supporting Israel and urged Xi and “Chinese people” to “stand with Israeli people to condemn these cowardly and vicious attacks”.

Xi met Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas in June, reaffirming China’s willingness to “play a positive role” in pushing for peace talks and supporting an independent Palestine under the “two-state solution”.

There were at least 8,206 Chinese workers in Israel at the end of 2020, according to the latest data from China’s commerce ministry.