Chinese envoy meets Hamas political leader in Qatar

Chinese diplomat Wang Kejian met Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The meeting was the first between China and Hamas since Israel's war on Gaza began last October, and follows Wang's trip to Israel and the occupied West Bank.

Wang said China was "keen on relations" with Hamas, which he called a "part of the Palestinian national fabric".

Haniyeh told Wang the war needed to end quickly, and called on Israel to withdraw its troops from the Gaza Strip.