Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, the Japanese government approved sanctions against four Israeli settlers involved in acts of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, freezing their assets under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law.

The decision was made at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, marking Japan's first imposition of sanctions against Israeli settlers.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi announced the sanctions during a press conference, stating, "Such acts as violence, threats, and destruction of property by some extremists against Palestinian communities and others have become a serious problem, as they frequently kill or injure Palestinian residents or force them to leave their homes."

Hayashi emphasized Japan's stance, urging the Israeli government to "fully freeze its settlement activities while closely coordinating with the international community, including the Group of Seven countries."

The sanctions come in response to an ongoing campaign of attacks on Palestinian towns and villages by extremist settlers demanding the forcible expulsion of Palestinians. This wave of violence has intensified following a raid by Hamas on Israel in October of last year.

In response to the escalating violence in the West Bank amid Israel's war in Gaza after Hamas' October 7 attack, Britain, the United States, and Canada have also sanctioned individual Israeli settlers.

According to Al-Jazeera tracker, since October 7, at least 578 people, including more than 140 children in the Occupied West Bank, and more than 5,300 were injured.