G-7 foreign ministers support extension of pause in fighting in Gaza
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The current truce brought Hamas-ruled Gaza its first respite after seven weeks of bombardment by Israel.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G-7) countries support the further extension of the current pause in fighting in Gaza and future pauses to increase assistance and facilitate the release of all hostages, they said in a joint statement on Nov 28.
“Every effort must be made to ensure humanitarian support for civilians... We support the further extension of this pause and future pauses as needed to enable assistance to be scaled up, and to facilitate the release of all hostages,” the joint statement added.
The current truce brought Hamas-ruled Gaza its first respite after seven weeks of bombardment by Israel.
The country had declared war after Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel on Oct 7
The Israeli military action has reduced much of the Gaza Strip to rubble and killed more than 15,000 people, according to health officials there.
The G-7 statement welcomed the release of some of the hostages by Hamas since the truce began on Nov 24
Hamas freed 12 more hostages and Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners on Nov 28, the fifth day of an extended six-day truce between the Palestinian group and Israel in the Gaza war.
The total number of hostages released by Hamas since the start of the truce now stands at 81, while Israel has freed 180 prisoners.
“We, as the G-7, urge the release of all hostages immediately and unconditionally,” the G-7 statement said.
It emphasised “Israel’s right to defend itself and its people” but underscored the importance of “protecting civilians and compliance with international law”.
It added that the G-7 was committed to a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution.
The G-7 foreign ministers cautioned against further escalation of the conflict.
They urged Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis to cease threats to international shipping lanes and commercial vessels and release the Galaxy Leader commercial ship and its crew seized on Nov 19. REUTERS
