G-7 top diplomats call for 'urgent action' on humanitarian crisis in Gaza

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – The top diplomats of G-7 nations on Wednesday called for “urgent action” to address the humanitarian crisis in the blockaded Palestinian enclave of Gaza.

They “emphasized the importance of complying with international humanitarian law” in Gaza, said Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa.

Kamikawa was addressing the media in Tokyo after G-7 foreign ministers concluded their two-day summit in Japan, Kyodo News reported.

She said the G-7 top diplomats “agreed to call for a pause” in the Israeli war “so that humanitarian supplies can be delivered to the Gaza Strip.”

At least 40,000 people have been killed, injured, or gone missing in Israel’s ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.

The G-7 ministers, however, refrained from criticizing Israel after it launched the war on Gaza following a surprise attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, a month ago.

Salama Marouf, a spokesman for the Gaza Media Office, told reporters late Tuesday that 10,328 people, including 4,237 children, 2,719 women, and 631 elderly people, have been killed.

Marouf said nearly 26,000 others have been injured and more than 3,000 people are missing.

Some 1600 people have been killed in Israel, according to official statements.