German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was in Tel Aviv to meet with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, ahead of his surprise visit to Egypt, where talks are under way on US President Donald Trump’s plan for peace in Gaza.
“This week is the decisive week for the first phase [of Trump’s Gaza peace plan] to succeed, for the hostages to be released, for humanitarian aid to reach the Gaza Strip, and for a ceasefire to truly be agreed upon,” Wadephul said.
“Every effort is worth it for this,” he added.
“We must not abandon all diplomatic efforts, but I would like to focus now on taking this first decisive step together,” Wadephul said.
Wadephul spoke with Saar about the indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas taking place in Egypt.
Earlier, the German foreign minister said he assumed that all parties involved would support the peace plan.
“These are good signs, but now craftsmanship must be done. I want to make my contributions to this,” Wadephul said.
In addition to the meeting with Saar, Wadephul was expected to meet relatives of hostages captured by Palestinian militant group Hamas, before flying on to Egypt.
During the trip to the region, he also joined EU foreign ministers with the Gulf Cooperation Council in Kuwait.
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