Japan asks Israel for a humanitarian pause in the war against Hamas

Japan asks Israel for a "humanitarian truce" and will provide around million in aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip

Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa yesterday, Friday 3 November, invited Israel to suspend the war against Hamas so that humanitarian aid can be delivered to the Gaza Strip.

This while the Israeli army continues air and ground attacks. Kamikawa also promised that Japan will provide around million in additional aid to civilians in the Palestinian enclave facing a major humanitarian crisis.

Yesterday, during a meeting with her Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen in Tel Aviv, Kamikawa reiterated that all parties - both Israel and Palestine - are invited to act in accordance with international law and that hostages held by Hamas should be release yourself immediately.

Yoko Kamikawa is also the first Japanese government minister to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories following Hamas' October 7 attack on the Jewish state, and Cohen agreed to work together on efforts to quell tensions in the escalating war as soon as possible, the ministry said.

The Japanese Foreign Minister also met his Palestinian counterpart Riad Malki in Ramallah, in the West Bank, to whom he reiterated Tokyo's support for a solution that involves the creation of two states, an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel to resolve the conflict.

Japan depends heavily on crude oil imports from the Middle East and has traditionally maintained friendly relations with Arab countries.

On the other hand, the alliance between Tokyo and Israel in terms of security is second only to the one the country has with the United States. United.

However, while the government of the Land of the Rising Sun has condemned Hamas for its "terrorist attack" last month which reignited the ongoing large-scale military conflict, it has instead refrained from criticizing Israel's bombing, considered disproportionate by some growing number of nations.

Kamikawa will chair a two-day meeting of the foreign ministers of the G7 industrialized countries next Tuesday in Tokyo, where recent developments in the Israel-Hamas conflict will be discussed.

PHOTO: Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (left) shakes hands with her Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen in Tel Aviv on November 3, 2023. (Japanese Foreign Ministry Ph)