By KUNA,
Tokyo : South Korea said Monday that it would provide USD 300,000 worth of emergency humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people as Israeli ground troops continued attacks on the Gaza Strip, Seoul’s Yonhap News Agency reported.
south Korea, a key ally of the US, also called for an immediate truce between Israel and Hamas. “The government expresses deep concern that the armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and nearby areas is expanding, leading to many casualties including civilians,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said in a press briefing, quoted by Yonhap.
“The government urges the concerned parties to immediately halt the use of force and respond to the international community’s call for a truce,” he added.
Moon said South Korea will join global efforts to help the Palestinian people by donating USD 300,000 in cash.
More than 500 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing Israeli operation aimed at ending rocket attacks by Hamas fighters, according to news reports.
On January 3, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso had also pledged USD 10 million in humanitarian aid to Palestinians, while China had offered USD 1 million on December 30 as emergency humanitarian aid.