Japan will accept wounded Palestinians from Gaza for medical treatment, marking the first time the country has extended such direct support to victims of Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave.

At least two injured individuals from Gaza are expected to arrive in Japan starting Wednesday, according to Kyodo News Agency.

The evacuation and treatment plan was organised in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO), and the patients will be cared for at the Self-Defence Forces Central Hospital in Tokyo.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba confirmed last month that the government was exploring ways to offer medical assistance to Palestinians, including potential educational programmes.

“We're making efforts to find ways to accept people in Japan who have fallen ill or been injured in Gaza,” Ishiba said during a parliamentary session, adding that Tokyo is also working on a special initiative for Palestinian students to study in Japanese universities.

The Israeli army launched an aerial campaign on Gaza on March 18, killing nearly 800 people, wounding over 1,600 others, and shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas that took hold in January.

More than 50,100 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 113,700 have been wounded in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.