Japan to provide $10 mln in humanitarian aid to Gaza Strip

Japan will extend $10 million in aid for civilians in the Gaza Strip, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Tuesday, to deal with the humanitarian crisis amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Kyodo reports. 

Kamikawa also said at a press conference that Japan and Iran are arranging phone talks between her and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian later Tuesday in an effort to help reduce tensions in the Middle East as quickly as possible.

"We will keep making diplomatic efforts to improve humanitarian access so that necessary assistance, such as food, water and medical and health services, will be provided to innocent civilians and Palestinian refugees," Kamikawa said.

The humanitarian assistance will be delivered through international institutions, Kamikawa said without elaborating.

Israel and Hamas have been at war since the Islamist militant group mounted a surprise attack from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel on Oct. 7, triggering Israeli retaliation. Thousands of people on both sides have died so far.

The humanitarian situation in Hamas-ruled Gaza has rapidly worsened as Israel has put the enclave under siege and cut off basic utilities, and its warning against residents to evacuate from Gaza's north has displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

Japan is highly dependent on crude oil imports from Middle East countries and has traditionally maintained friendly relations with them.

Kamikawa, who took office about a month ago, has held phone talks with her counterparts from the region such as Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as well as Israel and Palestine.