Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan has expressed concern over Israel’s military operations in and around the Gaza Strip city of Rafah and how they will affect the humanitarian crisis in the territory.

With the humanitarian situation on the ground deteriorates and the number of civilian casualties, including many children, women, and elderly people, continues to rise, “it is crucial to improve the humanitarian situation as soon as possible and to secure an environment in which humanitarian assistance activities can be carried out to achieve this,” a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Monday said.

“Over one million Palestinian people in Gaza have been displaced in Rafah, which is a particularly important location for the delivery of humanitarian supplies. Japan once again reiterates the importance of the protection of civilians and urges all parties to act in accordance with international law including international humanitarian law, and to act in good faith based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions, including ensuring humanitarian assistance.”

The Foreign Ministry statement repeated its condemnation of “the terror attacks by Hamas and others” and called for the immediate release of the hostages taken during the October 7 attack in Israel.