China and the United States said their top diplomats discussed the Israel-Hamas conflict in a call on Wednesday, agreeing on the need to de-escalate the war.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that "the top priority is to cease fire and end the war as soon as possible".

"Major countries must adhere to fairness and justice, uphold objectivity and impartiality, demonstrate calm and rationality, and make every effort to cool down the situation and prevent larger-scale humanitarian disasters," Wang said, according to the Foreign Ministry.

He also reiterated Beijing's calls for a two-state solution to the conflict, stressing "any arrangement involving the future of Palestine must reflect the will of the Palestinian people".

"China is willing to work with all parties to make efforts to this end," he said.

For his part, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken "reiterated the imperative of all parties working to prevent the conflict from spreading", according to the US State Department.

Blinken also raised recent attacks by Iran-backed Huthi rebels in the Red Sea, describing them as "an unacceptable threat to maritime security and international law that all nations have an obligation to uphold", according to department spokesperson Matthew Miller. (AFP)