G7 foreign ministers on Wednesday issued a "unified message" on the Israel-Hamas war, including a call for a humanitarian pause in the fighting and a "peace process", Japan's top diplomat said.
Winding up a two-day meeting in Tokyo, the Group of Seven wealthy nations said in a joint statement that Israel had the right to defend itself, while underscoring the need to protect civilians and to comply with international humanitarian law.
It was only the second joint statement from the G7 since gunmen from Hamas sparked the conflict with an Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, killing 1,400 people and taking some 240 hostages.
The Israeli bombardment of Gaza has since killed more than 10,000 Palestinians, around 40% of them children, according to counts by health officials in the Hamas-ruled territory.
“All parties must allow unimpeded humanitarian support for civilians, including food, water, medical care, fuel and shelter, and access for humanitarian workers,” said the G7 statement on Wednesday.
The ministers noted that the G7 is “working intensively to prevent the conflict from escalating further and spreading more widely,” and also using sanctions and other measures “to deny Hamas the ability to raise and use funds to carry out atrocities.”
They also condemned “the rise in extremist settler violence committed against Palestinians,” which they said is “unacceptable, undermines security in the West Bank, and threatens prospects for a lasting peace.”
The G7 comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, with the European Union also taking part in the summit.
At a working dinner on Tuesday, the ministers also discussed what happens after the Gaza conflict recedes and how to revitalize peace efforts in the Middle East, Japan said in a statement.
It gave no details of options being discussed if Hamas is ousted from Gaza.
