Arab News Japan

TOKYO: With the Ministry of Health in Gaza reporting that 3,650 children have been killed by Israeli military action since October 7, over 1,600 demonstrators staged a protest march to the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo on Saturday.

Similar marches have been held around the world to protest at what the United Nations warns is a risk of genocide in the Gaza Strip.

At the call of a Japanese Collective for Peace, several intellectuals and other notable figures made speeches near the Israeli Embassy and then read a letter of protest in front of the entrance to the embassy.

The police tried to prevent the media from covering the delegation but finally relented after pressure to let the journalists pass. According to a police source, the Israeli Embassy did not want the protesters to be able to read their complaint nor to welcome the delegation of protesters, who ended up reading their protest statement in front of the heavily guarded Embassy.

Referring to the victims of the atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, the Japanese delegation said the economic infrastructure in Gaza had been destroyed and called for a ceasefire, as requested by 121 United Nations countries. It also noted that the Gaza Strip has been under Israeli military occupation for more than 50 years and accused Israel of “collective punishment” that violates international law.

“We engaged in this issue to protect the lives and human rights of all people living in the Gaza Strip. We strongly urge that there be an immediate ceasefire and that there will be no more senseless mass killings,” the Japanese statement said.