Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, left, and his Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Malki pose for a photo during their meeting in Ramallah in the West Bank on Aug. 17, 2021. (Photo courtesy of the Japanese Foreign Ministry/Kyodo)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Tuesday pledged additional humanitarian assistance for the Gaza Strip following Israeli airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave during a tit-for-tat conflict earlier in the year.

       Meeting separately with Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Malki and President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah in the West Bank, Motegi also called on the Palestinians to maintain a cease-fire with Israel and resume peace talks.

       In 2006, Japan proposed a "Corridor for Peace and Prosperity" as an initiative toward the peaceful coexistence of Israel and a future Palestinian state through economic development projects in the region.

       "We urged both the Palestinian and Israeli sides to refrain from taking unilateral actions that raise tensions and to take measures to foster confidence" between them, Motegi told reporters.

       Malki, thanking Japan for its involvement in regional issues, said the Palestinian government is "ready" to engage with Israel when there is a chance "to move forward the peace process."

       The cease-fire came into effect after the military confrontation between Israel and the Hamas Islamist movement, which controls Gaza, continued for about 10 days in May.

       Japan has sent humanitarian assistance worth $23 million to the Palestinians since the May bombing, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

       Motegi plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Wednesday.

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