Japan's Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko left Tokyo on Thursday for her visit to Israel, Palestinian territory and Jordan.

Her trip is the first by a Japanese cabinet minister to Israel or Palestinian territory since the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamic group Hamas began on October 7.

She plans to hold talks with the foreign ministers of Israel and the Palestinian Authority on Friday. She will also travel to Jordan before returning to Japan on Sunday.

Kamikawa spoke to reporters at the Foreign Ministry on Thursday ahead of her departure. She said she plans to discuss the extremely severe humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and directly convey Japan's intention to provide assistance to Palestinians.

She said Japan will continue persistent diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation.

Referring to the Israeli military's airstrikes on Gaza's largest refugee camp, Kamikawa said she is deeply saddened by the casualties among innocent people including children, women and the elderly.

She said Japan has stressed to Israel the importance of protecting civilians and has been asking the country to take actions in accordance with international law.

Japan will host a Group of Seven foreign ministers' meeting in Tokyo next week. Kamikawa hopes to gain information on the situation from the parties involved in the conflict ahead of the G7 discussions.