Japan to join maritime humanitarian aid initiative to Gaza

Japan will join a maritime corridor initiative to supply humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip by sea, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa has announced.

"The Japanese government plans to coordinate promptly with other related countries to deliver food, medical and hygiene supplies through the maritime corridor," the Jiji Press news agency quoted Kamikawa as saying on Friday.

A ship carrying desperately needed food supplies reached the coast of the Palestinian enclave on Friday, three days after it set sail from the Greek Cypriot administration's Port of Larnaca.

The shipment was a test for a sea route from Larnaca to Gaza to supply aid to Palestinians under international supervision, including by the US and the EU.

Kamikawa said the corridor could help get unconstrained aid to people in Gaza, which has been under devastating Israel bombardment and ground attacks since early October.

Israel has waged its war on Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border incursion by Palestinian group Hamas. It has since killed around 31,500 Palestinians and pushed the territory to the brink of famine, besides causing mass destruction and displacement.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

The US has announced plans to build a temporary dock on the Gaza shoreline to allow delivery of humanitarian aid on a large scale.