Leaders of the Group of Seven nations have wrapped up the year under Japan's chairmanship. They held an online meeting led by Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on Wednesday.

Kishida said he will continue speaking with his counterparts in the Middle East about what is happening to civilians in Gaza. He and his G7 colleagues said they regret that military operations have resumed and that Hamas has refused to release all female hostages.

They want the Iranians to stop what they call "destabilizing activities," including support for Hamas, as well as Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and Houthi rebels in Yemen. They called for more humanitarian pauses and said they are committed to a two-state solution.

They also reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and invited President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to join their discussions.

Zelenskyy told them that the free world must help those whose freedom is under threat. His G7 partners announced they would ban imports of Russian diamonds. They added that they are committed to restricting exports of all items critical to Russia's military and industrial base.

The leaders looked ahead to the coming year, when Italy will take over as chair. They promised to press ahead with an agreement on artificial intelligence reached at their meeting in Hiroshima in May. They want to ensure that AI systems are safe -- and that they are used in a safe manner.