Yoshio Hachiro
DPJ Next Minister of Foreign Affairs

I am deeply concerned by the worsening of the situation in the Gaza Strip, where countless casualties have been reported following Israel's air strikes and ground invasion, as well as the launching of rocket attacks against Israel by militants in the Gaza Strip. I strongly urge both parties to immediately cease their military operations and to put an end to the chain of violent retaliation.

The resumption of hostilities in Gaza has marked the end of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas brokered by Egypt in June 2008. I strongly urge both parties to exert the utmost degree of self-restraint and to accept a durable truce.

In parallel with the delivery of emergency humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, the Japanese government, as a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, should continue exerting its influence on the international community to bring the situation under control and to ensure peace in the Middle East.