Japan’s top diplomat Takeshi Iwaya strongly denounced Israel’s military actions in Gaza during a phone call Friday with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
Iwaya "strongly condemned the expanding ground operations by the Israeli forces in the Gaza city with numerous civilian casualties, the deterioration of the already dire humanitarian situation including famine, and the recent attacks on Qatar, stressing that Japan absolutely cannot accept such developments," according to a statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
He also stressed that "Hamas must release the hostages and disarm."
Iwaya warned that due to Israel’s operations in Gaza, along with its annexation moves in the West Bank and settlement expansions, "a strong sense of urgency is increasingly spreading in the international community that such developments could undermine the very foundation of a two-state solution." Emphasizing Tokyo’s "consistent position to support a two-state solution," he urged "Israel to immediately cease any unilateral actions that run counter to it."
In a separate phone call with Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian, Iwaya reiterated Tokyo’s support for a two-state solution and emphasized the need to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
