China urged calm Sunday in the wake of Hamas’ attack on Israel from Gaza.

“We call on relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint and immediately end the hostilities to protect civilians and avoid further deterioration of the situation,” a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

The statement also said that China would work “relentlessly” to attempt to bring peace toward the region.

“The recurrence of the conflict shows once again that the protracted standstill of the peace process cannot go on. The fundamental way out of the conflict lies in implementing the two-state solution and establishing an independent State of Palestine. The international community needs to act with greater urgency,” the spokesperson said.

An Israeli diplomat in Beijing said he was disappointed in China’s statement.

“When people are being murdered, slaughtered in the streets, this is not the time to call for a two-state solution,” Yuval Waks told reporters, according to Reuters.

Hundreds of people had been reported dead, most of them civilians, and fighting continued Sunday.