France said in a statement announcing Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna’s attendance in Tokyo that the G7 meeting would discuss “the need to respond to the needs of civilian populations in Gaza and to respect international humanitarian law”.

Colonna “will reiterate our condemnation of the terrorist actions of Hamas and the imperative of releasing the hostages,” the statement added, AFP reports.

German counterpart Annalena Baerbock said the G7 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.

France was the only G7 member to vote in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution last month seeking an immediate “humanitarian truce”.