Israel’s Gaza Offensive and West Bank Settlements

Israel has intensified its military campaign in the Gaza Strip, renewing an offensive in March 2025 that shattered a brief ceasefire and plunged the territory back into war. The Israeli Defense Forces expanded ground operations into densely populated areas of Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and Rafah, while enforcing a total blockade that halted humanitarian aid. After two months of siege, famine-like conditions set in, with the U.N. warning of a deepening humanitarian crisis as food, water, and medicine ran low. Only recently was this complete blockade on aid lifted, with around 100 trucks a day flowing in, although it is important to note that this is significantly lower than the 600 trucks a day during the ceasefire earlier this year.

The humanitarian toll and flattening of entire neighborhoods have drawn global outcry. China’s U.N. envoy, for instance, urged Israel to halt military operations and lift the Gaza blockade, stressing that continued fighting “will only result in more death and hatred,” not the release of hostages (CGTN). Beijing joined other nations in pressing Israel to abide by international humanitarian law, protect civilians, and allow life-saving supplies into Gaza.

At the same time, Israel’s government moved to expand Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. In late May, officials approved plans for 22 new settlements - the largest expansion in decades - legalizing wildcat outposts and advancing new construction. Israeli human rights groups have previously condemned such policies as a push for “Jewish supremacy” via the theft of Palestinian land. Western allies also reacted with alarm: a growing list of European countries have demanded Israel end the war in Gaza. Morevoer, Britain’s Middle East minister labeled the new settlements as “illegal under international law” and a deliberate obstacle to peace (CNN).

U.S. and Israeli Strikes on Yemen’s Houthi Rebels

The Gaza war’s effects have spread to Yemen, where the Iran-aligned Houthi movement have for months fired ballistic missiles and armed drones toward Israel and ships in the Red Sea, aiming to pressure Israel into stopping its Gaza offensive. Most projectiles have been intercepted, but one long-range missile from Yemen struck near Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on May 4, lightly wounding four people and briefly halting flights. It marked the first Houthi attack to reach Israeli soil, prompting swift retaliation. The next day, Israeli warplanes bombarded the Houthis’ Red Sea stronghold, hitting at least six targets around the strategic port of Hodeidah and reportedly disabling Yemen’s main airport in Sanaa, which the Houthis decried as “aggressive raids on civilian facilities” (Guardian).

Meanwhile, the United States launched its own campaign to neutralize the Houthi threat to shipping. On March 15, the U.S. military began Operation Rough Rider, a massive air and naval strike campaign targeting Houthi missile launch sites, air defenses, and infrastructure across Yemen. Over seven weeks, U.S. Central Command struck more than 1,000 Houthi targets, killing “hundreds” of fighters and several insurgent leaders (Reuters). However, rights groups report that some U.S. strikes hit civilian sites, including an alleged strike on a migrant detention center that killed dozens of migrants in late April.

Facing growing international pressure and the risk of being drawn into a protracted conflict, Washington moved to de-escalate. On May 6, President Trump announced that the U.S. would halt its bombing campaign “effective immediately,” after the Houthis agreed to stop attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea. Oman’s foreign ministry confirmed the truce, under which “neither side will target the other” and freedom of navigation will be safe (Reuters). Notably, the Houthis stressed that this U.S.-Houthi ceasefire doesn’t include Israel, vowing to continue strikes against Israeli targets as long as the war persists, and especially after Israel’s recent bombing of Yemen.

Trump’s Middle East Diplomatic Tour and Megadeals

In the midst of these conflicts, former U.S. President Donald Trump embarked on a high-profile diplomatic tour across the Middle East in May 2025, seeking to realign regional politics and cement American influence. Over four days, Trump visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, showcasing a flurry of arms deals, investment pledges, and business partnerships with Gulf monarchies. The tour was more than ceremonial, as it signaled a new Middle Eastern order centered on Sunni Arab powers and U.S. commerce, while pointedly sidelining Israeli PM Netanyahu.

Major outcomes of Trump’s Gulf tour included:

  • A record $142 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, supplying advanced U.S. weapons.

  • Gulf sovereign wealth funds committed to huge U.S. investments, such as a $1.4 trillion investment from the UAE over a period of 10 years.

  • Plans for a U.S.-led civil nuclear cooperation project with Saudi Arabia, giving the kingdom access to nuclear technology.

  • With Saudi mediation, Trump announced the U.S. would lift sanctions on Syria’s new government, accepting the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.

Trump’s pivot to the wealthy Gulf states underscores a U.S. strategy to counter China’s growing footprint and reassert American primacy in the region. “The Middle East is undergoing tectonic changes,” warned former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett, lamenting that under Netanyahu’s watch Israel was left “paralyzed, passive” as regional alliances reshuffled (Reuters). Indeed, Gulf leaders warmly welcomed Trump’s engagement. Overall, U.S. officials signaled that while Israel remains an ally, Netanyahu’s hardline policies are “standing in the way” of broader U.S. interests in the region (Reuters).

China’s Reaction and Strategic Diplomacy

Beijing has closely watched these developments, crafting its response to protect Chinese interests and expand its role as a power broker. China’s public reaction to the Gaza war and its spillover has been one of measured concern coupled with pointed criticism of U.S. actions. Chinese officials repeatedly called for an immediate, lasting ceasefire in Gaza, calling out the humanitarian crisis. At the U.N., China’s ambassador urged all parties to cease fighting and warned against any attempt to annex Gaza or the West Bank, in an implicit rebuke of Israeli settlement expansion. “Gaza is the Gaza of Palestinians…not a bargaining chip, let alone a target of the law of the jungle,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson declared, reaffirming Beijing’s support for Palestinian sovereignty and the two-state solution (Reuters).

Striking a balance in its strategic positioning, China has positioned itself as a champion of stability and multipolarity in the Middle East. Last year, Beijing was praised for brokering a detente between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and it is keen to ensure new conflicts do not unravel that diplomatic victory. 

With the Red Sea crisis, China was clearly alarmed: Houthi attacks on shipping threatened China’s vital trade routes via the Suez Canal, and the U.S. bombing campaign risked further destabilizing a region where China has big economic stakes. In response, Chinese officials urged “calm and restraint” from all sides, pointedly warning Washington against escalating its strikes in Yemen (Semafor). Beijing declined to join the U.S.-led naval coalition in the Red Sea, instead quietly advocating dialogue to address the “complex reasons” behind the Yemen conflict (MFA). This cautious stance reflects China’s broader diplomatic playbook: avoid direct entanglement in conflicts beyond its sphere of influence, protect trade lanes, and offer to mediate where U.S. efforts falter.

While Trump’s high-profile Gulf tour signaled an American comeback in the region, Chinese analysts have downplayed its long-term impact. State media noted that Gulf countries maintain close economic ties with China, and argued it is “impossible for the U.S. to isolate China” by courting Arab states (Global Times). As the U.S. floods the Gulf with arms and investment promises, China is likely to respond by deepening its own economic engagement in the Middle East, from energy deals and infrastructure projects under the Belt and Road Initiative, to high-tech cooperation, all while staying officially neutral in regional disputes.

In summary, the Middle East at mid-2025 stands at a crossroads of intensified conflict and realigned diplomacy. Israel’s unrelenting Gaza offensive and West Bank expansion have provoked humanitarian disaster and international backlash, even as the U.S. and its allies strike back against militants on new fronts in Yemen. Washington under Trump has recalibrated its regional strategy with an eye on great-power competition, securing lucrative deals with Gulf monarchies and pressuring Israel to fall in line. And through it all, China is maneuvering carefully: condemning what it sees as injustices, urging negotiations, and quietly bolstering its influence amid the shifting geopolitical situations. The coming months will test whether these diplomatic efforts can temper the region’s turmoil or whether the Middle East is headed toward further escalation and transformation on the world stage.