German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said humanitarian pauses in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza would be a topic for discussion for ministers from theGroup of Seven (G7) leading industrialized democracies meeting in Tokyo.

Japan is hosting the two-day meeting where ministers will attempt to speak with one voice on the unfolding Middle East crisis, despite their apparent differences.

What can we expect from the talks?

Ministers will try to draft a united response to the Israel-Hamas war, but there are clear divisions between G7 members.

While France was the only G7 member to vote in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution last month seeking an immediate "humanitarian truce," the United States voted against it.

Japan, Britain, Italy, Germany, and Canada all abstained.

Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the ministers would "discuss how we can achieve humanitarian pauses together to alleviate the suffering of the people in Gaza."

"For me, it is clear that the Hamas terrorists have brought infinite suffering to Israel and the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza with the horrific attacks of October 7. Hamas cannot be allowed to determine the fate of the people in the Gaza Strip," she added.

Agreeing upon the wording of any statement on Israel's right to defend itself amid concerns about the rising civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip could prove difficult.

"Although we will refrain from making a legal assessment of the actions of the Israeli military, generally speaking, the basic norms of international humanitarian law must be observed," Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said.

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said the meeting would discuss "the need to respond to the needs of civilian populations in Gaza and to respect international humanitarian law."

Renewed support for Ukraine

Tokyo was also keen to emphasize that G7 support for Ukraine would not be compromised even as much of the world's attention shifts to the conflict in the Middle East.

"Our commitment to continue strict sanctions against Russia and strong support for Ukraine has not wavered at all, even as the situation in the Middle East intensifies," Kamikawa told a press conference.

She said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba would speak to the G7 ministers by a remote link during their meeting.

The G7 has been at the forefront of sanctions on Russia since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May, where national leaders underlined their support for the country to defend itself against Russian aggression.

rc/sms (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)