Japan asks Iran to talk to Hamas and try to calm Mideast tensions

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa has asked Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Abdollahian, to engage with Hamas in order to de-escalate tensions in the conflict with Israel. Kamikawa and Abdollahian also discussed the need to improve humanitarian access to Gaza and the importance of international support for the region. In response to the situation, the Japanese government plans to evacuate around 900 Japanese citizens from Israel and the Palestinian territories using military aircraft. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called for an immediate end to Israel’s actions in Gaza.