China hoped Israel and Palestine would remain restraint to avoid deteriorating the situation, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Qin Gang on Monday.

When asked to make comments on current Israeli-Palestinian situation, Qin said China expressed grave concern over Israel's military operation against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which caused many casualties of the Palestinian people.

China was worried about the impact on the peace negotiation between Israel and Palestine, Qin said, noting that China called for an immediate end of Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip.

(Xinhua News Agency March 4, 2008)