Three months after the start of the Gaza war, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called on Israel to take more targeted action and enable more humanitarian aid in view of the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip.
“The suffering of so many innocent people involved cannot continue like this. We need a less intensive operation,” demanded the Green politician on Sunday evening after talks with Israeli President Izchak Herzog and the new Foreign Minister Israel Katz in Jerusalem. At the same time, she called on Israel to make the handling of aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip more practical.
Baerbock criticized that far too few aid supplies were getting through to the Gaza Strip. An important beginning is that in addition to the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, Israel has also opened the Kerem Shalom crossing for aid deliveries. “But the way these border crossings currently work, they are a bottleneck. It cannot stay that way.” More ways to deliver humanitarian aid would have to be found.
The Gaza war was triggered by the unprecedented terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas and other extremist Palestinian groups on October 7th. According to Israeli figures, around 1,200 people were killed in the attack and around 240 people were kidnapped in the Gaza Strip. Israel responded with massive air strikes and a ground offensive. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 22,800 people have been killed and more than 58,000 injured in the Gaza Strip since the war began.
Baerbock: Government open to Eurofighter delivery to Saudi Arabia
According to the Federal Foreign Minister, the federal government is open to supplying Eurofighter fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. By intercepting rockets fired at Israel by the Yemeni Houthis, Saudi Arabia is contributing to Israel’s security and preventing a conflagration in the region. “It is precisely for this reason that we do not see that we as the German federal government oppose the British considerations for further Eurofighters for Saudi Arabia,” said the Federal Foreign Minister.
Arms exports to Saudi Arabia are controversial because of the human rights situation in the kingdom and because of the emerging military power’s intervention in regional conflicts. The federal government decided in July to stop the delivery of Eurofighters to the wealthy Gulf state until the end of the electoral period in autumn 2025. The fighter jets are a European joint project in which Germany is involved – Berlin therefore has veto rights over export decisions. They are manufactured in Great Britain, which would be ready for delivery to Saudi Arabia.
Baerbock emphasized that Saudi Arabia in particular has known for some time about the danger that the Houthis pose to security in the region. “The fact that the Saudi Air Force also uses Eurofighters is, I believe, an open secret. This shows Riyadh’s efforts to ensure a better future in the region.”
Criticism of settler violence in the West Bank
The Federal Foreign Minister said she underlined deep concerns about the violence and displacement of people in the West Bank by radical Jewish settlers. “This violence has increased dramatically since October 7th. This violence must end.” Here too, the Israeli army has a duty to protect Palestinians. Illegal settlement construction “represents a significant obstacle to lasting peace in the region.”
A two-state solution is “the only chance for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace. Now is the moment to take this course.” This Monday, Baerbock wants to see for himself the situation of the people there in a Palestinian settlement in the West Bank.
Several more Germans among the Hamas hostages
The Israeli army currently believes there are still around 135 hostages in the Gaza Strip. There are said to be several Germans among the remaining hostages. Baerbock didn’t want to give any specific numbers, but spoke of numbers “in the low double-digit range”.
Katz’s office said the minister thanked the federal government for Germany’s support. “As the son of Holocaust survivors, I see it as particularly important that Germany supports us and stands by us in all our efforts,” said Katz. As foreign minister, he is committed to the release of all hostages. He also told Baerbock: “Israel will not stop until everyone has returned home.”
