Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says Japan strongly condemns the attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian militants that "severely harmed innocent civilians'' in Israel.

Kishida posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday that the militants have reportedly abducted a number of people, and called for their immediate release.

The prime minister also expressed deep concern about heavy casualties in the Gaza Strip.

Kishida said, "All the parties concerned should exercise maximum restraint."