Japan has imposed sanctions against nine people and a company over their alleged links to the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, amid Israel’s devastating war waged on the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday the measures would freeze assets belonging to individuals and a company that were “involved in fundraising for Hamas.”
The nine individuals have been identified as nationals of Palestine, Sudan, Egypt, and Jordan, as reported by Tokyo-based Kyodo News.
Tokyo’s imposition of sanctions comes in response to the United States, Israel’s main ally, announcement of similar measures last month.
Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to intensified Israeli atrocities against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Since the start of its aggression, Israel has killed at least 8,306 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured some 21,048 others in the besieged Gaza.
The Tel Aviv regime has imposed a complete siege on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.
Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has condemned Hamas’s operation and called for the immediate release of the captives held by Hamas, but stopped short of denouncing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Japan has tried to take a fine line on the Israeli war on Gaza by only expressing concern regarding the loss of civilian lives the worsening humanitarian conditions within the enclave.
Last week, Japanese officials called on Israel to halt its offensive in Gaza in order to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the blockaded territory.
On Friday, Tokyo refrained from casting a vote on a United Nations resolution that urged for an urgent humanitarian ceasefire.
Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Kamikawa Yoko, said that her country had chosen to refrain from voting in favor of the resolution due to its failure to condemn the Palestinian resistance movement.
The non-binding resolution, proposed by Jordan, received overwhelming support with 120 votes in favor, while the United States and its allies voted against it.
Japan is struggling to engage in pro-US diplomacy in the Middle East as it is making final arrangements for Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa to visit Israel in early November
