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- Must 鈥榣ook at what Hamas is doing with the aid,鈥� says Gilan Cohen
- Tokyo condemns 鈥榯errorist attacks鈥� but warns of dire humanitarian situation
TOKYO: Israel鈥檚 ambassador to Japan warned on Thursday that his host country should be 鈥渧igilant鈥� and 鈥渓ook at what Hamas was doing with the aid鈥� it extends to Palestinians.
After Hamas鈥� surprise attack on Israeli towns bordering Gaza on Oct. 7, the Israel Defense Forces, or IDF, began bombarding the besieged area.
The IDF鈥檚 shelling killed up to 1,200 Palestinians, including children, according to Gaza鈥檚 Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, Israel鈥檚 death toll also reached 1,200, with up to 2,700 wounded, a military spokesperson confirmed.
鈥淛apan should be vigilant and look at what Hamas is doing with the aid,鈥� Gilan Cohen told journalists at a press conference.
He commended Japan for acknowledging the Hamas attacks as 鈥渢errorism鈥� and for saying Israel had a right to defend itself.
Japan, which calls for a political solution to allow Israel and a future independent Palestine to coexist, provides assistance to Palestinians through various schemes. That assistance totaled $2.3 billion over the last decade, according to a Foreign Ministry document issued in June.
Japan imports more than 90 percent of its crude oil from the Middle East.
鈥淲e firmly condemn the terrorist attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups,鈥� Japan鈥檚 Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a regularly scheduled press conference on Thursday.
鈥淎t the same time, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is becoming more serious day by day and we are closely monitoring the situation in the region with serious concern,鈥� Matsuno said.
On Oct. 9, Japan did not join five G7 members鈥� joint statement in support of Israel after deadly attacks by Hamas from Gaza.
Matsuno told Arab News Japan that the Asian country鈥檚 absence from the statement is attributed to the 鈥渄esire to maintain flexibility in its approach, while actively working behind the scenes to mediate and exert influence on both Palestine and Israel.鈥�
Israel on Saturday ordered its state-run electricity company to halt energy supply to the Gaza Strip.
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, if the ban on the entry of fuel into Gaza continues, their services will stop 鈥渨ithin four days.鈥�
*With Reuters
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