In view of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, goods are now to arrive by sea in addition to deliveries by air. The US military, together with international partners, wants to set up a temporary port in the Palestinian territory.
Large ships loaded with relief supplies should be able to dock at a pier. U.S. Department of Defense spokesman Pat Ryder said it expected it would take about 60 days for the temporary port to be fully operational. Once built, it could be used 24 hours a day. It would then be possible to deliver up to two million meals a day.
According to the federal government, Germany will participate in the planned aid corridor. “More aid must reach Gaza,” wrote Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Platform This support is urgently needed.”
The US Department of Defense also emphasized that efforts are being made to significantly expand deliveries by land in the meantime, as this is the most effective way to bring aid to the crisis area. And the dropping of relief supplies from the air also continued.
It is noteworthy that the USA feels compelled to take these steps because its ally Israel, which it supports militarily in the fight against the Islamist Hamas, is restricting humanitarian aid to Gaza by land. Asked why the U.S. isn’t simply pushing Israel to open land routes for humanitarian supplies, Ryder said the U.S. government continues to talk to Israel and other partners about it. But don’t wait idly in the meantime. There simply isn’t enough help coming to Gaza.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office emphasized: “Every aid package that arrives in Gaza counts.” To implement the corridor, the special envoy for humanitarian aid in the Near and Middle East, Deike Potzel, is currently in Cyprus. This was also reported by “Spiegel”.
According to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, however, the project should start shortly. “We are now close to opening the corridor – hopefully this Saturday, this Sunday,” von der Leyen said in a meeting with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulidis.
Videos show falling cargo – Hamas reports five dead
Meanwhile, there was a tragic accident during the ongoing airborne aid deliveries. Five people were killed by a load falling from the sky because the parachute did not open properly, as the Ministry of Health, which is controlled by the Islamist Hamas, confirmed at the request of a dpa employee on site. Videos on social media showed how the large aid package fell to the ground practically unchecked. Several people were also injured.
A spokesman for the US Department of Defense said in Washington that press reports that the US military’s airdrops had resulted in civilian casualties on the ground were false. “We have confirmed that all of our aid packages landed safely on the ground,” he emphasized.
Jordan also distanced itself from the incident. The state news agency reported, citing unnamed sources, that the technical error did not occur on any of the Jordanian aircraft involved.
Baerbock calls for more border crossings to be opened
“The Israeli government must finally open more border crossings for humanitarian deliveries and ensure that this aid arrives,” demanded Baebock. “That is their responsibility, especially because every single aid package counts.” The suffering in Gaza is becoming more terrible every day and can hardly be put into words. “It cannot and must not continue like this,” said the Green politician. At the same time, she warned that the Israeli hostages must finally be released.
There is still no breakthrough in talks about the release of more people kidnapped from Israel and a ceasefire in the Gaza war. Participants from Hamas and the mediating states of the USA and Qatar left the Egyptian capital Cairo, according to security circles at the airport. The mediators hope to reach an agreement by the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins around March 10 this year. The state-affiliated Egyptian broadcaster Al-Kahira News quoted an unnamed high-ranking source as saying that negotiations will continue next week.
According to Israel, more aid is coming to Gaza than before the war
Meanwhile, Israel called for the International Court of Justice in The Hague to vigorously reject South Africa’s urgent application for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. Pretoria had called on the court to order Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Israel is acting in accordance with international law and is allowing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman wrote on X. “South Africa continues to act as the legal arm of Hamas and acts against Israel’s right to defend itself and its citizens to work for the release of the abductees.”
According to the Israeli government, more aid supplies are currently arriving in the coastal strip than before the start of the war. There are no restrictions on the amount of aid deliveries. But there is a problem with distribution within the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu: Will also take action against Hamas in Rafah
According to a survey, many Germans believe that Israel’s military action in the Palestinian territory in response to the Hamas terrorist attack goes too far. 50 percent of those surveyed expressed this opinion in a survey by the Infratest dimap institute for the ARD Germany trend. According to the information, this is 9 percentage points more than in a comparable survey in November. 28 percent consider the reaction to be appropriate, while another 5 percent think it doesn’t go far enough.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to insist on a military operation in Rafah to take action against the remaining Hamas battalions there. We must resist international pressure and counter attempts to end the war together, said Netanyahu. “Those who tell us not to operate in Rafah are telling us to lose the war.”
Even after five months of war, extremist Palestinians continue to fire projectiles from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. According to Israeli media, three rockets hit Israeli territory on Thursday evening. There were initially no reports of injuries or damage.
The Gaza war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, in which terrorists from the Islamist Hamas and other extremist groups murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 in Israel on October 7th. Israel responded with massive bombings and a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. More than 30,000 people have been killed since then, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority. According to the army, there are around 10,000 terrorists among them.
Spain supports UNRWA with 20 million euros
With a view to the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, Spain wants to support the criticized UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA) with a further 20 million euros. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced this after a meeting with UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini in Madrid. He promised Lazzarini the Spanish government’s support for “the important work” of the aid organization. The money is intended to ensure nutrition, education and health for thousands of Palestinian families. Only at the beginning of February did Spain announce a special payment of 3.5 million euros.
More than a dozen countries, including the largest donors the USA and Germany, recently suspended their payments to the Palestinian relief organization. The background is allegations that UNRWA employees were involved in the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7th. The investigations into the terror allegations are not yet completed.
