BEIJING - China "condemns" acts that harm civilians in the conflict between the Hamas militant group and Israel, and calls for an immediate ceasefire, said Zhai Jun, China's special envoy on the Middle East.

"China is deeply concerned about the current escalation of tension and violence between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, and is saddened by the large number of civilian casualties caused by the conflict," Zhai said on Tuesday.

"We oppose and condemn acts that harm civilians and call for an immediate ceasefire."

(Reporting by Ryan Woo in Beijing and Meg Shen in Hong Kong; Editing by Alison Williams)