Israel expanding Gaza operations risks catastrophic consequences: UN official

China

Israel expanding Gaza operations risks catastrophic consequences: UN official

2025-08-06 15:56 Last Updated At：08-07 00:07

An official of the United Nations has warned that any expansion of Israeli military operations across the entire Gaza Strip would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and further escalate an already dire conflict.

At a United Nations Security Council briefing on Tuesday, UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca expressed deep concern over reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be considering further expansion of military operations throughout Gaza.

"The latest reports regarding Prime Minister Netanyahu's possible decision to expand Israel's military operations through the entire Gaza Strip, if true, are deeply alarming. This would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza," said Jenca.

International law is clear in this regard, Gaza is and must remain an integral part of a future Palestinian state, he added.

The warning comes amid intensified fighting and growing global calls for restraint, as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate.

In response, China's deputy UN envoy, Geng Shuang, urged Israel to immediately halt its military expansion, calling the actions risky and destabilizing. He reiterated China's call for an immediate ceasefire, urging influential nations to take action to facilitate de-escalation and humanitarian access.

Also addressing the Council was a representative for Israeli hostages. The brother of Evyatar David, who appeared in a video released by Hamas last week, pleaded with the international community to use its influence to secure the immediate and unconditional release of the remaining captives and ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those trapped in the conflict zone.

China's aggregate social financing maintains high growth in 2025

China's outstanding aggregate social financing -- the total amount of financing to the real economy -- reached 442.12 trillion yuan (about 63.4 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of 2025, up 8.3 percent year on year, central bank data showed on Thursday.

The country's aggregate social financing stood at 35.6 trillion yuan (about 5.1 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2025, up by 3.34 trillion yuan (about 479 billion U.S. dollars) from the year 2024, said the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the country's central bank.

According to the data, the M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, increased 8.5 percent year on year to 340.29 trillion yuan (about 48.8 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of December.

In addition, outstanding yuan loans stood at 271.91 trillion yuan (about 39 trillion U.S. dollars) at the end of 2025, up 6.4 percent year on year.