News - Middle East: China has denounced as “extremely irresponsible and disturbing” an Israeli minister’s statement that a nuclear bomb on the besieged Gaza Strip was an option, stressing that all Israel’s nuclear sites must be placed under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Geng Shuang, made the remarks during his speech at the fourth session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) on Monday.
He urged Israeli officials to retract such statements, calling on Israel “to accede to the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons” as a non-nuclear weapon entity as soon as possible and to place all its nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards.
Geng went on to say that China was “shocked” by statements that came from Israeli officials on the use of nukes on Gaza, saying such “extremely irresponsible and disturbing” remarks should be universally condemned.
The Chinese official further noted, "Nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction have been a major factor causing a trust deficit in the Middle East, undermining regional peace and stability."