Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Israel’s ambassador to Japan warned on Thursday that his host country should be “vigilant” and “look at what Hamas was doing with the aid” it extends to Palestinians.

After Hamas militants’ surprise attack on Israeli towns bordering Gaza on Oct. 7, Israeli Defense Forces began bombarding the sieged area with bombs.

Israeli shelling killed up to 1,200 Palestinians, including children, according to Gaza’s health ministry. 

Meanwhile, Israel’s death toll also reached 1,200, with up to 2,700 wounded, a military spokesperson confirmed. 

“Japan should be vigilant and look at what Hamas is doing with the aid,” Gilan Cohen told a press conference.

He commended Japan for acknowledging the Hamas attacks as “terrorism” and for saying Israel had a right to defend itself.

Japan, which calls for a political solution to allow Israel and a future independent Palestinian state to coexist, provides assistance to Palestinians through various schemes. That assistance totalled $2.3 billion over the last decade, according to a foreign ministry document issued in June.

Japan imports more than 90% of its crude oil from the Middle East.

“We firmly condemn the terrorist attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary MATSUNO Hirokazu told a regularly scheduled press conference on Thursday.

“At the same time, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is becoming more serious day by day and we are closely monitoring the situation in the region with serious concern,” Matsuno said. 

On Oct. 9, Japan did not join five G7 members’ joint statement in support of Israel after deadly attacks by Hamas from Gaza. 

Matsuno told Arab News Japan that the Asian country’s absence from the statement is attributed to “desire to maintain flexibility in its approach, while actively working behind the scenes to mediate and exert influence on both Palestine and Israel.”

Israel on Saturday ordered its state-run electricity company to halt energy supply to the Gaza Strip. 

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, if the ban on the entry of fuel into Gaza continues, their services will stop “within 4 days.”

Read more:Israeli missiles cause damage to JICA office in Gaza Strip

*With Reuters