Japan and Australia urge Gaza ceasefire, oppose military action

By Anadolu Staff

ANKARA (AA) — Japan and Australia on Saturday called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, voicing deep concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis and opposing any further expansion of Israeli military action.

In a joint statement issued after a meeting of foreign and defense ministers in Tokyo, the two countries also urged an immense and unimpeded surge of humanitarian aid to civilians in the besieged enclave.

On Friday, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, and their Australian counterparts, Penny Wong and Richard Marles, held the 12th “2+2” ministerial dialogue between the two countries.

“We expressed grave concern over the situation in the Middle East, particularly the findings of famine in Gaza, reiterating urgent calls for an immense and unimpeded surge in aid to civilians in need,” the statement said.

The ministers also reiterated their opposition to Israel’s E1 settlement plan, approved last month, which would split the occupied West Bank into two parts, cutting off the northern cities of Ramallah and Nablus from Bethlehem and Hebron in the south and isolating East Jerusalem.

The UN and most of the international community consider such settlements illegal under international law and warn that they threaten the viability of a two-state solution, a framework seen as important to resolve the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Concerns beyond Gaza

The joint statement also expressed “grave concern” over the crisis in Myanmar, condemning the military regime’s attacks on civilians. The two countries called for an immediate halt to violence, the release of political prisoners, and safe humanitarian access.

Japan and Australia further stressed the importance of economic security as part of national security, pledging deeper cooperation on critical minerals, supply chain resilience, and emerging technologies.

Writing by Islamuddin Sajid