Chinese President Xi Jinping and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron discussed the situation in Gaza in a phone call, agreeing “to avoid a more serious humanitarian crisis”, Beijing’s state media reported.

“The two heads of state exchanged views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and both believe that the top priority is to avoid further deterioration of the situation between Palestine and Israel, especially to avoid a more serious humanitarian crisis,” state broadcaster CCTV reported.

According to CCTV, Xi and Macron agreed to “continue to maintain communication on international and regional issues of common concern and contribute to maintaining world peace and stability”.

“The ‘two state solution’ is the fundamental way to solve the recurrent conflict between Palestine and Israel,” the state broadcaster added.