From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
In Tokyo, Sa’ar sells ‘US aid plan’ to bypass Hamas in Gaza
Nava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar calls on the international community to support what he describes as “an American initiative” to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, during opening remarks at a Tokyo meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, Sa’ar’s office says in a statement.
“Israel supports the American initiative to allocate humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza and not to Hamas. We call on the international community to support it,” says Sa’ar.
On Sunday, Sa’ar announced in a joint press conference with his German counterpart that Israel “fully endorses” what he called an American plan for providing aid to the Gaza Strip, though officials familiar with the mechanism have told The Times of Israel that the Israeli government and military have been heavily involved in putting the scheme together.
“We hope our objectives are achieved and that this war ends soon. We want to return to the path of expanding the circle of peace and normalization in the Middle East,” says Sa’ar in Japan, where he arrived this morning for the first official visit to the G7 country by an Israeli foreign minister since 2010.
“Hamas started this war on October 7 and is responsible for its continuation by refusing to release our hostages and refusing to disarm…The October 7 attack caused a regional war. And this fundamental thing must be changed,” says Sa’ar, adding that, “with a terrorist state like Hamas — we will not be able to ensure regional stability.”
“We are truly grateful for Japan’s steadfast support for Israel after Hamas’s horrific attack on October 7. You clearly condemned Hamas and recognized Israel’s right to self-defense,” Sa’ar tells Iwaya, adding that Japan was swift to impose sanctions on three Hamas leaders and call for the immediate release of the hostages in Gaza.
“This visit is a special opportunity to strengthen our bilateral relations. We would like to do it in economy, defense, innovation, science, technology and people to people,” continues the foreign minister.
Sa’ar thanks his counterpart for his hospitality and invites him to visit Israel soon.
The Times of Israel Community.