Summary
- Germany calls Gaza aid “very insufficient.”
- Slight improvement noted, but still inadequate.
- Ministers discussed increasing pressure on Israel.
- Focus on improving humanitarian aid flow.
- Germany pushes for a stronger international response.
The German military conducted its first food
airdrops into Gaza, where humanitarian organizations report that over two
million Palestinians are starving, and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited
the area on Thursday and Friday, which prompted the criticism.
"notes limited initial progress in the delivery of humanitarian aid to the population of the Gaza Strip, which, however, remains very insufficient to alleviate the emergency situation,"
government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said in a statement.
"Israel remains obligated to ensure the full delivery of aid,"
Kornelius added.
On Saturday, Palestinian youngsters in Gaza City
eat a bowl of lentil soup that they received from a food distribution
center. AFP
Israel has opened the border to more
vehicles and some other countries to conduct food and medication airdrops in
response to growing international condemnation of its military actions in Gaza.
But according to international organizations,
the amount of aid reaching Gaza is still dangerously low.
According to the UN, 6,000 vehicles are waiting for Israel to grant them access to the occupied Palestinian region.
"Concern regarding reports that large quantities of humanitarian aid are being withheld by Hamas and criminal organizations,"
the German government, which has historically been a strong supporter of Israel, also said.
"The real theft of aid since the beginning of the war has been carried out by criminal gangs, under the watch of Israeli forces,"
Jonathan Whittall of OCHA, the United Nations agency for
coordinating humanitarian affairs, told reporters in May.
Israel has "considerably" raised the
number of assistance trucks permitted into Gaza to roughly 220 per day, a
German government official told AFP.
In recent weeks, Berlin's stance against
Israel's activities in Gaza and the occupied West Bank has been more forceful.
According to the source, "the
different options" for applying pressure on Israel were considered in a
Saturday meeting of the German security cabinet, but no decision was made.
One possibility that has been suggested is a
partial suspension of arms supply to Israel.
What role is Germany playing in international
efforts to improve humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza?
The German government acknowledges that the
amount of aid entering Gaza remains very insufficient despite some limited
improvements and has urged Israel to ensure full delivery of aid to civilians
in Gaza.
Germany has resumed humanitarian aid airdrops
into Gaza, with the Bundeswehr air force delivering food and medical supplies
via aircraft operating from bases including Jordan. These air drops form part
of a broader international effort alongside countries like Jordan, the UAE,
Egypt, and France.
Germany has committed additional financial
resources, including a recent pledge of €5 million to support humanitarian
operations such as bakeries and soup kitchens in Gaza.