China called on the Israeli Occupation Tuesday to halt its forthcoming military operation in the city of Rafah "as soon as possible," warning of a "humanitarian catastrophe" if fighting continues.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that "China closely monitors the situation in the Rafah area and opposes and condemns actions that harm civilians and violate international law."

The statement added that Beijing urges “Israel” to "cease its military operation as soon as possible and make every possible effort to avoid civilian casualties... to prevent a more dangerous humanitarian disaster in the Rafah region."

The Israeli Occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently ordered the army to prepare for an assault on Rafah, a densely populated border area filled with refugees who have fled the ongoing aggression against Gaza in the past four months.

After the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) carried out a night-time rescue operation on Monday to “free” two captives held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on his “X” account that “Only the continuation of military pressure, until complete victory, will result in the release of all our abductees.”

“I salute our brave warriors for the bold action that led to their liberation,” he added, “We will not miss any opportunity to bring [the captives] home.

The operation was accompanied by airstrikes that claimed the lives of a hundred individuals, according to figures released by Gaza’s Health Ministry.