New Delhi: Foreign ministers of G7 member states have in a joint statement called for ‘humanitarian pauses’ and ‘corridors’ to ensure the passage of humanitarian assistance to Gaza and the release of Israelis taken hostage by Hamas.
“We support humanitarian pauses and corridors to facilitate urgently needed assistance, civilian movement, and the release of hostages,” read the joint statement issued Wednesday.
“We stress the need for urgent action to address the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. All parties must allow unimpeded humanitarian support for civilians, including food, water, medical care, fuel, and shelter, and access for humanitarian workers,” it added
The foreign ministers of the Group of 7 (G7) — the US, the UK, France, Canada, Japan, Italy and the European Union – released the joint statement after a two-day meeting in Tokyo, as Israel’s military operation in Gaza to ‘eliminate’ Hamas entered its second month.
Israel’s counter-offensive was a response to Hamas’s unprecedented attack on 7 October, which left 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians, dead.
The joint statement by the foreign ministers recognised Israel’s right to defend itself, but in “accordance” with international humanitarian law, while also condemning Hamas, the Palestinian militant outfit that has been in control of the Gaza Strip since 2007.
“We unequivocally condemn the terror attacks by Hamas and others across Israel that began on October 7, 2023, as well as ongoing missile attacks against Israel. We emphasise Israel’s right to defend itself and its people, in accordance with international law, as it seeks to prevent a recurrence,” the joint statement read.
It added: “We reject antisemitism and Islamophobia in any form in our own societies and anywhere in the world.”
Israel’s retaliatory air strikes and its ground assault have left over 10,000 Palestinians dead and thousands injured, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
Against this backdrop, the G7 foreign ministers have called for urgent action to address the “deteriorating” humanitarian situation in Gaza, calling for all parties involved to allow for “unimpeded humanitarian support for civilians, including food, water, medical care, fuel, and shelter, and access for humanitarian workers”.
The US has increasingly been pushing for “tactical pauses”, a position President Joe Biden reiterated during a call with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, Monday, according to a statement from the White House.
In their joint statement, the G7 also reiterated their support for the two-state solution — a UN proposal for two states, one Palestinian Arab and the other Jewish, while calling for Jerusalem, a city of religious significance, to be placed under a special international regime.
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China, Iran & Russia
The joint statement also called on Iran to stop supporting Hamas, Hezbollah and other ‘non-state’ actors and demanded that it “cease its unabated escalation of its nuclear program, which has no credible civilian justification and brings it dangerously close to actual weapon-related activities”.
The G7 foreign ministers also expressed “deep concern” over Tehran’s declining human rights record, including its crackdown on protesters demanding more freedom for women, and condemned the targeting of journalists and activists outside Iran.
Iran faced nationwide protests last year following the death of 22-year-old Iranian activist Mahsa Amini.
Apart from Iran, the group also called out Beijing for its aggressions in the South China Sea. Over the past year, Chinese vessels in the region have clashed with Filipino vessels and others on numerous occasions. “We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas, strongly opposing any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion,” read the joint statement.
The G7 foreign ministers called on Beijing to “act in accordance with its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and not to conduct interference activities, aimed at undermining the security and safety of our communities, the integrity of our democratic institutions, and our economic prosperity”.
On the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they reiterated their support for Kyiv and called on Moscow to “cease its aggression”. They also criticised the Kremlin’s “systematic targeting of Ukrainian Black Sea Ports and civilian infrastructure”. Here, the foreign ministers welcomed Beijing’s participation in the Ukraine-led peace process.
Following North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s six-day visit to Russia in September, which indicated that Pyongyang would supply weapons to Moscow, the G7 condemned such arms transfers “which directly violate relevant UNSCRs (United Nations Security Council Resolutions)”.
“We urge Russia and North Korea to immediately cease all such activities”, read the joint statement.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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