Friedrich Merz wants to end the suffering of the civilian population in Gaza. To achieve this, Germany will cooperate with Jordan. He also calls on the Israeli government to provide further aid.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has announced an airlift to the Gaza Strip to supply humanitarian supplies. The airlift will be carried out"immediately" in cooperation with Jordan, Merz said after Security Cabinet deliberations on Monday."We want to end the humanitarian suffering of the civilian population in Gaza as quickly as possible," he said.
Merz said France and Great Britain are also prepared to support such an airlift for food and medical supplies. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will coordinate with the two countries on this. While this is only"a very small help" for the people in Gaza, it is a contribution the government is willing to make.
He also called on Israel to"immediately and comprehensively improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza." Israel must provide sufficient humanitarian and medical supplies to the suffering civilian population. Merz called the larger aid deliveries over the weekend an"important first step." More must now follow.
The Chancellor also called for a"comprehensive ceasefire." Hamas must now clear the way for this. The terrorists must be disarmed, and the hostages must be released. German citizens continue to be among those abducted.
Merz also emphasized:"For the German government, there is no doubt that it was Hamas's cruel and inhuman terror on October 7, 2023, that triggered the fighting in Gaza."
The Chancellor further warned against further steps toward Israeli annexation of the West Bank. The recognition of a Palestinian state is not currently under consideration by the German government. This is"not a first, but possibly one of the final steps" on the path to a two-state solution. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) is expected to travel to the region on Thursday to continue diplomatic efforts. Merz himself announced that he would speak to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again by phone that evening.
Trump calls on Israel to help
US President Donald Trump also expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and called on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to take action. The US and others are supplying the Gaza Strip with food, and Netanyahu must ensure"that they get the food," Trump said on Monday during a visit to Scotland."I want to make sure they get the food."
In contrast, in response to international pressure to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu claimed that Hamas had spread doctored images of starving children."There is no hunger in Gaza, no policy of starvation," he said, demanding:"Stop deliberately accusing Israel of this outrageous lie."
