President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that China was "deeply pained" by the "extremely severe" situation in Gaza, according to state media.
His comments came during a meeting with the visiting Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
Xi is hosting several other Arab leaders in Beijing this week, with talks aimed at deepening consensus between Beijing and the Arab countries.
Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States, have been engaged for months in talks aimed at securing a lasting truce between Israel and Hamas, accompanied by the release of hostages kidnapped by the Palestinian resistance groups.
"The current round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has caused a large number of innocent Palestinian civilian casualties and the humanitarian situation in Gaza is extremely severe. China is deeply pained," Xi told el-Sissi in Beijing, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
"The top priority task now is an immediate ceasefire, in order to avoid spillover of conflict, impact on regional peace and stability, and so as to prevent a more serious humanitarian crisis," Xi said, according to CCTV.
Israeli bombardment rocked Gaza's far-southern city of Rafah on Wednesday, Palestinian residents and officials said, a day after Israeli tanks rolled into the center of the city near the Egyptian border.
The Israeli military pushed on with its mission to defeat Hamas, despite a global outcry that intensified after a deadly strike set a crowded camp ablaze on Sunday night.
The strike sparked a fire that Gaza officials said killed 45 people and wounded about 250.
China has good relations with Israel but has supported the Palestinian cause for decades and has campaigned for a two-state solution to the conflict.
"China appreciates the important role played by Egypt in cooling down the situation and delivering humanitarian relief," Xi said Wednesday.
He said China was ready to work with Egypt to continue to assist the people of Gaza "and push for an early, comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue."