A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas formally entered into force on Sunday, paving the way for the exchange of Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages.

A spokeswoman for Beijing's foreign ministry said "China welcomes the Gaza ceasefire agreement coming into effect".

"We hope that the agreement will be fully and continuously implemented, and that a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire in Gaza will be achieved," Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing.

"China will continue to work with the international community to promote peace and stability in the Middle East," she said.

China has historically been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and supportive of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

It has positioned itself as a more neutral actor on the conflict than its rival the United States, but has repeatedly called on Israel to end what it calls humanitarian disasters in Gaza.

Last summer, China hosted rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah in Beijing, where they signed an agreement to form a "national unity government" in Gaza after the end of hostilities.