BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Thursday that China welcomes the five-day extension of the temporary ceasefire between Israel and Palestine.

Late on Wednesday, Azzam Al-Ahmad, head of the Palestinian delegation in Cairo, announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to extend the current ceasefire, which expired at midnight, by another five days.

This is the third temporary ceasefire in the past two weeks. During the ceasefire, Israeli and Palestinian delegates will conduct indirect talks in Cairo through Egyptian mediators.

Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that China calls on both sides to show the utmost restraint during the ceasefire and step up negotiations with a rational and responsible attitude and reach a long-term agreement as soon as possible.