On October 13, 2023, Special Envoy of the Chinese Government on the Middle East Issue Zhai Jun had a phone call with EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process Sven Koopmans on the Palestine-Israel situation.

Zhai Jun said that China is saddened by innocent civilian casualties caused by the current Palestine-Israel conflict, and opposes and condemns any attacks against civilians. The current situation on the ground is very dangerous. China is deeply concerned over the prospect of the potential further expansion of the conflict, and calls on all parties to avoid the further escalation and spill-over of the situation. The international community should increase humanitarian assistance to Palestine to avoid a severe humanitarian crisis. China appreciates the EU's support for promoting the settlement of the Palestinian question on the basis of the two-state solution, supports the EU in continuing to provide Palestine with humanitarian assistance, and stands ready to continue to maintain communication with the EU to jointly promote deescalation of the situation.

Sven Koopmans said that the EU attaches importance to China's significant role in promoting deescalation of the situation and promoting talks for peace, and calls on the international community to strengthen humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip. The EU and China have similar positions on the current situation, and should strengthen cooperation to relieve the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.