Japan slaps sanctions on individuals, company with ties to Hamas

Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday (October 31) that sanctions have been imposed on individuals and a company that is connected to the Gaza-based militant group Hamas. The sanctions include freezing of assets of the company and individuals who have helped fund Hamas. The ministry said that the sanctions are in line with new sanctions announced by the United States this month.

This is the first set of sanctions Japan imposed on Hamas since the militant group crossed the border and attacked Israel on October 7.

Japan has added Muhammad Ahmad 'Abd Al-Dayim Nasrallah and Ayman Nofal to the list of people and organisations it considers terrorists.

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Gravitas: Israel stops funding to the Palestinian authority

The Israel-Hamas war continues to rage with no sign of stoppage in fighting. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out any ceasefire. He said that a ceasefire "will not happen". His comments came close on the heels of a United Nations warning that adequate aid was not reaching the Gaza Strip to meet "unprecedented humanitarian needs".

The Hamas-controlled health ministry in the enclave says that more than 8,300 Palestinians have been killed so far.

Hamas fighters crossed the border and staged attacks inIsrael on October 7, killing and kidnapping Israelis. The latter has responded with overwhelming military action.

Also Read | Israel-Hamas war: Shocking assault and intelligence failure

Netanyahu likened a ceasefire to "surrender" to Hamas.

"Calls for a ceasefire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism... this will not happen," he said, vowing Israel would "fight until this battle is won".

Also Read | Hamas-Israel war: Rare dissent over US arms for Israel raises troubling questions

The United States, the biggest international backer of Israel, has also opposed the ceasefire. It even voted against the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution calling for a ceasefire. The motion eventually passed with overwhelming support from the international community.

"We do not believe that a ceasefire is the right answer right now," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, adding that "pauses" to get aid into Gaza should be considered instead.

Kirby added that the US was 'confident' of boosting the number of aid trucks to Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt to about 100 a day.

The UN has been constantly pressing for a ceasefire.

Philippe Lazzarini, chief of UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, has called on theUnited Nations Security Council (UNSC) to pass a resolution for a humanitarian ceasefire.

Though UNGA has already passed such a resolution, it is not binding. A resolution passed by the UNSC, however, will compel action on the ground.

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