At a meeting in Tokyo, the foreign ministers of the G7 nations said they considered it urgently necessary to expand humanitarian aid for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.

There was broad agreement on this in the group of G7 foreign ministers during their discussions on the Gaza war the previous evening in Tokyo, according to the German delegation on Wednesday.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her Japanese counterpart Yoko Kamikawa called for humanitarian ceasefires to supply the population in the area sealed off by Israel.

According to the Japanese foreign ministry, Mr Kamikawa stated that Japan unequivocally condemned the recent terror attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian militants.

This has taken the consistent position that prioritised: firstly, the immediate release of people being held hostage and securing the safety of civilians.

Secondly, all the parties acting based on international law; thirdly, calm the situation as soon as possible.

Japan is prepared to provide further humanitarian aid to Gaza, totalling around $65 million.

The G7 host had previously decided to send 10 million dollars worth of aid.

German delegation circles also stated that the G7 wanted to closely coordinate their efforts to secure the release of the hostages taken to Gaza by Hamas.

All participants emphasised Israel’s right to self-defence within the framework of international humanitarian law.

There was consensus that a regional conflagration should be prevented and that considerations for what should happen in Gaza when the fighting is over should be coordinated within the G7.

This is as well as with Israel and other countries of the region.

There were shared concerns about an increase in tensions in the West Bank, also due to increasing settler violence, according to the German delegation.

In the discussion, the perceptible concern about the increase in anti-Semitic incidents was also noticeable in the G7 countries.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed his colleagues about the results of his most recent trip to the Middle East. 

(dpa/NAN)