Japan preparing for talks with Iran on Israel-Gaza war - foreign minister

Japan is preparing to hold talks with Iran on Israel's war with Hamas, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said on Tuesday, adding that it would also provide $10 million emergency aid for Gaza. There was no immediate confirmation about the call from Tehran. Israel has vowed to annihilate Iran-backed Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, after its Islamist fighters' deadly attacks on Israeli towns and kibbutzes.

Japan is preparing to hold talks with Iran on Israel's war with Hamas, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said on Tuesday, adding that it would also provide $10 million emergency aid for Gaza. Japan is the current chair of the Group of 7 developed nations and Kamikawa said it was monitoring the situation in Gaza "with concern".

"I'm in the final stages of preparing to hold telephone talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian today," Kamikawa told reporters. There was no immediate confirmation about the call from Tehran.

Israel has vowed to annihilate Iran-backed Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, after its Islamist fighters' deadly attacks on Israeli towns and kibbutzes. Kamikawa said there are currently about 900 Japanese citizens in Israel and the Palestinian territories, and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hideki Murai later said the government planned to evacuate them with Japanese military aircraft as early as in the second half of this week.

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