Chinese President Xi Jinping has told his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that China is “deeply pained” by the “extremely severe” situation in Gaza, as Beijing hosts Sisi and several other Arab leaders, AFP reports.

The talks between Xi, Sisi and other Arab dignitaries in China this week are aimed at building consensus between Beijing and the Arab nations, as well as presenting a “common voice” on the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

“The current round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has caused a large number of innocent Palestinian civilian casualties and the humanitarian situation in Gaza is extremely severe. China is deeply pained,” Xi told Sisi in Beijing, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

“The top priority task now is an immediate ceasefire, in order to avoid spillover of conflict, impact on regional peace and stability, and so as to prevent a more serious humanitarian crisis,” Xi said.