China will work with the international community to ease tensions in the Middle East, mitigate the humanitarian crisis and promote the ceasefire and resumption of peace talks between Israel and Palestine, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

"We support all efforts of the international community to ease tensions in the Middle East and mitigate the humanitarian crisis," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular press conference.

"We hope that positive results can come from the ceasefire talks with the mediation of Egypt. And again, we strongly urge relevant parties to listen and respond to the international appeals and requests," she said.

China's Special Envoy on the Middle East, Sun Bigan, is visiting Palestine, after touring Egypt and Israel.

At least 1,023 Palestinians have been killed and 4,600 injured since Israel launched air and ground military operation on December 27.

(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2009)