China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and other BRICS leaders condemned "acts of violence" that have impacted Palestinian and Israeli civilians during the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza, according to a joint statement released on Tuesday.

The virtual meeting, which was hosted by South Africa, sought to agree a common position and response to the conflict between Israel and Hamas among the BRICS group, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Besides the core countries, officials and leaders from future BRICS members also attended, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Ethiopia and Argentina.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also took part in Tuesday's talks.

What did the BRICS leaders agree?

In a joint statement, the BRICS bloc said they called for "an immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities."

The statement underscored "the importance of preventing further destabilization" in the region, including ensuring that the conflict does not spread further in the Middle East.

The statement called for "all parties to exercise maximum restraint" and also urged the allies of Israel and the backers of Hamas "to work towards this objective."

BRICS leaders also condemned "acts of violence aimed at Palestinian and Israeli civilians."

They called for "the immediate and unconditional release of all civilians who are being illegally held captive," but did not specifically make mention of the estimated 240 people taken hostage by Hamas militants during the October 7 attacks in Israel.

Hamas has been designated a terrorist group by the United States, Germany, Israel, the European Union and others. The BRICS core countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — have not designated Hamas as a terrorist organization.

The BRICS statement also reiterated their support of a two-state solution which would result in an independent state for Palestinians.

China's Xi recommends 'international peace conference'

Earlier in the meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the organization of an "international peace conference" to end the conflict.

"China calls for an early convening of an international peace conference that is more authoritative to build international consensus for peace," Xi said via video link.

The conference should "work toward an early solution to the question of Palestine that is comprehensive, just and sustainable."

China has long supported a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and has been historically sympathetic to Palestinians.

The BRICS meeting took place amid a visit this week in Beijing by representatives from the Palestinian Authority (PA), Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Indonesia to discuss the conflict.

South Africa reiterates accusations of 'war crimes'

During Tuesday's talks, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa accused Israel of committing war crimes in the conflict, which Israel has rejected.

"The collective punishment of Palestinian civilians through the unlawful use of force by Israel is a war crime. The deliberate denial of medicine, fuel, food and water to the residents of Gaza is tantamount to genocide," Ramaphosa said.

Last week, South Africa joined four other countries in referring Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for an investigation into the conflict. It also recalled all its diplomats from Israel last week.

The country's parliament is also set to vote on whether to shut down the Israeli Embassy in South Africa until a cease-fire is implemented in Gaza.

On Monday, Israel's Foreign Ministry announced it had recalled its ambassador to South Africa for consultations ahead of the vote.

Russia's Putin sees bigger role for BRICS in conflict

In his remarks, Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the United States and portrayed the current conflict as a failure of Washington's diplomacy.

He also said that BRICS states could be involved in reaching an agreement to resolve the conflict, although he did not elaborate on how that would be organized.

"We call for the joint efforts of the international community aimed at de-escalating the situation, a ceasefire and finding a political solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. And the BRICS states and countries of the region could play a key role in this work," Putin said.

Putin's remarks on the Middle East conflict come as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine.

While BRICS was first founded as a group for major emerging economies, its members have now grown into a political forum that sees itself as a counterweight to the United States and other Western countries.

rs/jcg (AFP, Reuters, AP)