China and the United States said their top diplomats discussed the Gaza situation on a call, agreeing on the need to de-escalate the conflict, AFP reports.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken “reiterated the imperative of all parties working to prevent the conflict from spreading”, according to the US State Department.

Beijing said Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in turn, stressed that regarding the conflict between Israel and Hamas, “the top priority is to ceasefire and end the war as soon as possible”.

“Major countries must adhere to fairness and justice, uphold objectivity and impartiality, demonstrate calm and rationality, and make every effort to cool down the situation and prevent larger-scale humanitarian disasters,” Wang said, according to the foreign ministry.

“China is willing to work with all parties to make efforts to this end,” he said.