TOKYO: Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary HAYASHI Yoshimasa said Wednesday it is regrettable that a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was voted down Tuesday as the United States vetoed it.

Japan voted for the resolution, “hoping that a humanitarian ceasefire will be realized promptly,” Hayashi, Japan’s top government spokesman, told a news conference.

Regarding the Israeli military operation in Rafah, the southernmost district of Gaza, Hayashi said, “If the operation continues without sufficient measures to evacuate and protect civilians, there will be many more victims and humanitarian aid operations will become increasingly difficult.”

JIJI Press