China refused to assist Israel in releasing a hostage, the daughter of a Chinese mother, from the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media reports. The hostage in question is Taina Argamani, who was rescued by Israel in a violent operation in the Nuseirat camp on Saturday.
The newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" reported that since the early days following Argamani's abduction from the Nova music festival on October 7, the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the Israeli embassy in Beijing made numerous attempts to convince Chinese officials to help with her release, considering that her mother is Chinese.
Despite ongoing Israeli appeals, China declined to assist, either by ignoring the requests or citing the fact that her mother, Liura, was forced to renounce her nationality, as Chinese law does not permit dual citizenship, according to the newspaper. Chinese state media also did not mention the abduction of the "Chinese-Israeli girl."
The newspaper noted that a Chinese official told his Israeli counterpart that Argamani was "only half Chinese" and "lacks Chinese blood," and therefore would not receive assistance from Beijing.
In December, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset that he had called the Chinese ambassador and requested that he convey a direct message to Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding the hostage, who was abducted along with her partner. Netanyahu added that he sought Xi’s personal intervention in Argamani's case, and that Israeli-Chinese friendship associations also tried to help the hostage and her family, but to no avail.
An Israeli source expressed "deep disappointment" regarding Beijing's handling of the situation, pointing out that it made no effort to assist Israel. Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, China has adopted what the newspaper described as a "pro-Palestinian stance," consistently calling for an end to attacks on Gaza and supporting anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations Security Council. Argamani was among the four hostages released a few days ago during a special Israeli forces operation in Gaza.