China on Thursday expressed its deep concerns over worsening situation in the Middle East, urging Palestine and Israel to exercise restraint to cool down the conflicts.

"China is deeply concerned about the increasing tension between Palestine and Israel," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu.

Israel launched the operation of "Summer Rain" early Wednesday after two days of unfruitful international mediation over the release of Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped by Palestinian soldiers in an attack on a military position near the Gaza border Sunday morning.

"We urge Israel to exercise restraint and halt military action, and call on Palestine to release the hostage as early as possible, " Jiang told a regular press conference.

China holds that the Middle East issues should be solved through political negotiations on the basis of relevant UN resolutions and the "land for peace" principle, Jiang added.

"We hope the two sides will take concrete actions to relax the current tension and stop circle of violence at an early date," Jiang said.

Source: Xinhua