The German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) have once again airdropped relief supplies over the Gaza Strip. Chancellor Merz describes this as"a small contribution" to alleviating the suffering. The German government sees slight progress overall in humanitarian aid.

During his trip to the Middle East, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul surprisingly sharply criticized the actions of the Israeli government. The CDU minister briefed the cabinet and Chancellor Friedrich Merz on his impressions on the ground. In a press release following the meeting, the government announced that it had noted"initial, slight progress in humanitarian aid for the population in the Gaza Strip, which, however, is far from sufficient to alleviate the emergency."

According to German security sources, 220 trucks carrying aid have been arriving in the area daily since last week. Two of the three major water pipelines in the Gaza Strip are currently functioning, as is one of the ten power transmission lines. The price of flour is a staggering €80 per kilogram. 73 tons of aid have been airdropped so far.

Aid organizations estimate that these quantities are far from sufficient. According to Medico International, between 500 and 600 trucks entered the Gaza Strip daily before October 7, 2023. Each truckload typically contained around 20 tons of relief supplies. Due to the massive destruction of infrastructure and agricultural land, the need is likely to be significantly higher now.

Federal Government: Israel must secure supplies

The German government's statement states that Israel remains obligated"to ensure comprehensive supplies, including with the support of the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations." The militant Islamist terrorist organization Hamas is also criticized in the statement: "At the same time, the German government is concerned about reports that large quantities of aid are being withheld by Hamas and criminal organizations." The information apparently originates from German security circles. The news agency dpa reports that experts believe that 50 to 100 percent of the aid that reached the Gaza Strip is being diverted by Hamas or other criminal organizations.

But there are other assessments as well. For example, an analysis by the Office of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) found no evidence of systematic embezzlement of aid by Hamas in 156 cases examined, as reported by the Reuters news agency. Israel has also so far been unable to provide any evidence of embezzlement, the New York Times reported last week, citing high-ranking Israeli military officials. According to the report, the UN's delivery system for supplying food to the Gazan population has been largely effective.

Merz: Enable aid deliveries by land

Airdropping aid over the Gaza Strip is not a good solution, aid organizations emphasize. The head of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, declared on Platform X that these so-called airdrops would not end the"worsening famine." They are "expensive, inefficient, and could even kill starving civilians." Nearly 6,000 trucks loaded with aid are waiting at the border, waiting for permission to enter the Gaza Strip.

For the German government, the airdrops are apparently an emergency solution. On Saturday, the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) again dropped food and medical supplies with a total weight of 9.6 tons, an Air Force spokesperson said. Further aid flights are scheduled to follow on Sunday. France, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates also participated – according to the Israeli military, a total of 90 pallets of relief supplies were dropped on Saturday.

In a post on the X platform, Chancellor Merz thanked the Bundeswehr as well as Jordanian and European partners and continued:"We know that airdrops are only a small contribution to alleviating the suffering of the people in Gaza. That is why we continue to work intensively to facilitate the delivery of aid by land."

Israel imposed a near-total blockade on the Gaza Strip in March. Since last Sunday, it has permitted airdrops, and trucks from UN and other organizations are allowed into the sealed-off coastal area daily.

Sanctions against Israel for more pressure?

Calls for a more decisive approach toward Israel are growing louder. CDU foreign policy expert Norbert Röttgen is advocating for EU sanctions"if Israel's policy doesn't change very quickly." Then "Germany would also be forced to take concrete measures together with our partners," he told the weekly newspaper Zeit."This also means suspending projects and agreements that explicitly include a commitment to humanitarian and international legal obligations."

The Green Party's co-leader, Katharina Dröge, called for"a halt to arms exports to Israel that could be used in Gaza." Dröge also told the Stuttgarter Zeitung and the Stuttgarter Nachrichten that sanctions against the right-wing extremist Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir were necessary. Both openly called for violence against the Palestinian civilian population, the politician emphasized.

Israel's army chief: Fighting will continue without hostage release

Meanwhile, Israel announced it would continue the war in the Gaza Strip if the remaining Israeli hostages were not freed soon. Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said he expected"we will learn in the coming days whether we can reach an agreement on the release of our hostages." Otherwise,"the fighting will continue without interruption."

Indirect negotiations between Israel and the militant Islamist Hamas, mediated by the US, Egypt, and Qatar, failed last month. Forty-nine Israeli hostages are still being held by the Islamists; at least 27 of them are dead, according to the army. Palestinian armed groups released two videos this week showing starving and weakened hostages.