Hamas and Fatah officials head to China for talks as Israel pummels Gaza

China will host Palestinian unity talks between resistance group Hamas and political party Fatah, a Beijing-based diplomat said, a notable Chinese foray into Palestinian diplomacy amid Israel's war on besieged Gaza that experts say has already assumed genocidal proportions.

A Fatah official told the Reuters news agency on Friday that a delegation led by the group's senior official, Azzam Al Ahmed, had left for China.

A Hamas official said the faction's team for the talks, led by senior official Moussa Abu Marzouk, would be flying there as well.

"We support strengthening the authority of the Palestinian National Authority and support all Palestinian factions in achieving reconciliation and increasing solidarity through dialogue and consultation," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin at a regular briefing on Friday.

The visit will be the first time a Hamas delegation is publicly known to have gone to China since the start of the Israeli carnage in Gaza.

A Chinese diplomat, Wang Kejian, met Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar last month, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Fatah is the movement of Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited governance in the Israeli occupied West Bank. And, Hamas governs Gaza where Israel has since October last year killed at least 34,356 Palestinians — 70% of them babies, children and women — and wounded over 77,368.

The Beijing-based diplomat, who had been briefed on the matter, said the talks aimed to support efforts to reconcile the two Palestinian groups.

China has lately demonstrated growing diplomatic influence in the Middle East, where it enjoys strong ties with Arab nations and Iran.

Last year, Beijing brokered a breakthrough peace deal between longstanding regional foes Saudi Arabia and Iran.

China's advocacy for Palestine

Earlier on Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials in Beijing how China can play a constructive role in global crises, including the Middle East.

Chinese officials have ramped up advocacy for the Palestine in international forums in recent months, calling for a larger-scale Israel-Palestine peace conference and a specific timetable to implement a two-state solution.

In February, Beijing urged the International Court of Justice [ICJ] to give its opinion on the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories, which it said was illegal.

More recently, China has been pushing for Palestine to join the United Nations, which Beijing's top diplomat Wang Yi said last week would "rectify a prolonged historical injustice".