Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) richest liberal democracies announced today that they have adopted a unified position on the Israel-Hamas war after intense meetings in Tokyo, condemning Hamas, supporting Israel’s right to self-defense and calling for “humanitarian pauses” to accelerate the delivery of aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip, Beta reports.
G7 ministers (US, Japan, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy) spoke about other crises in the world, including Russia’s war in Ukraine, North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and, they said, China’s growing aggression in territorial disputes with its neighbors .
In today’s statement after two days of talks, the G7 countries sought to balance unequivocal condemnation of Hamas attacks on Israel and the need for “urgent action” to help civilians in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
“All parties must allow unhindered humanitarian aid to civilians, including food, water, medical care, fuel and shelter and access to aid workers,” said a statement agreed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany , Japan, and Italy, a member of the G7.
“We support humanitarian pauses and corridors to facilitate the delivery of urgently needed aid, the movement of civilians and the release of hostages,” the statement said.
The G7 meeting was in part an attempt to reduce the worsening of the humanitarian crisis while at the same time preventing the deepening of wider differences between the members over Gaza.
They also condemned the rise in Israeli extremist settler violence against Palestinians, which they said was “unacceptable, undermining security in the West Bank, and threatening prospects for lasting peace.”
While the leading diplomats were meeting in Tokyo, a UN agency announced that thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are fleeing to the south on foot, carrying only bundles, with their hands, as they ran out of food and water in the north. Israel said its troops were fighting Hamas militants inside Gaza, where some 650,000 people lived before the war and where, according to Israel, Hamas has its central command and a vast labyrinth of tunnels.
The increasing number of civilians heading to the south of the Gaza Strip indicates an increasingly difficult situation in and around the largest city of Gaza, which is under heavy Israeli bombardment.
Referring to other crises, the G7 ministers announced in Tokyo that they will remain “united” in “firm support” for Ukraine against Russian invasion “even in the current international situation”, referring to the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas.
They also reaffirmed their desire to continue together to impose tough sanctions on Moscow, to accelerate reconstruction efforts in Ukraine in the short and long term, and to work on the peace process with other international partners, the Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement.
Photo: Ottumwakourir
