Arab News Japan

DUBAI: A Japanese hotel canceled a reservation for an Israeli tourist, informing him that they could not accommodate him due to reports of war crimes committed by Israeli soldiers in Gaza.

In a message to the tourist, the hotel manager said: “We are sorry to inform you that, due to reports of possible war crimes being committed by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) members in the conflict taking place in Gaza between Israel and Palestine, we are not able to accept reservations from persons we believe might have ties to the Israeli army.”

Jeronimo Gehres, the manager of the Material Hotel, added that offering lodging to persons “who might have assisted or might be assisting in the execution of warfare activities forbidden by international humanitarian law based on the Geneva Conventions and their additional protocols could put us at risk of being considered accomplices and/or accessories to a person who could be facing prosecution for war crimes.”

According to reports, Israel’s Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen sent a complaint to the CEO of the hotel, demanding an explanation and an apology for the incident. He also asked for the dismissal of the hotel manager.

The embassy said it contacted Japanese authorities and is pursuing legal channels available to them against the hotel.

The Health Ministry in Gaza said on June 17 that at least 37,347 people have been killed in the territory during more than eight months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants.

The toll includes at least 10 deaths in the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that a total of 85,372 people had been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began.

Dire shortages of food and other essentials in the Gaza Strip have been exacerbated by overland access restrictions and the closure of the key Rafah crossing with Egypt since Israeli forces seized its Palestinian side in early May.

Israel’s air and ground campaign in Gaza has killed hundreds of family members from the same bloodline, an unprecedented toll on the small community mostly made up of refugees and their descendants.