German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took the unusual step of criticizing Israel on Friday.
Merz, speaking at an annual summer press conference, said Israel’s approach to Gaza is “no longer acceptable.”
The chancellor called for an immediate ceasefire in the beleaguered enclave as the death toll there surpassed 58,000 this week.
He also called for more humanitarian assistance for those in Gaza — something that has been gravely hampered by Israel’s decision to boot all international aid programs out of Gaza in favor of the highly controversial US-run and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which critics have called a cynical death trap for desperate Gazans seeking to find food for their families.
Merz said he is in regular contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that he has offered to increase German aid to the enclave.
Merz also noted that his government “does not support” Israel’s settlement policy. adding that he clearly expressed that sentiment in his calls with Netanyahu.
“It’s clear where we stand. We are doing everything we can to do right by both sides [Israel and Palestinians in Gaza],” said Merz, noting that “the state of Israel would cease to exist” if it didn’t defend itself. At the same time, said Merz, “We see the suffering of the Palestinian people and we are also trying to do all we can to deliver humanitarian assistance.”
Germany, due to what it refers to as its historical responsibility toward the state of Israel, has been one of its staunchest supporters during its war in Gaza, providing significant diplomatic and military support.
Merz on Friday brushed off calls for the suspension of EU association agreements with Israel as well as firmly rejecting any equivalency between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s approach to Gaza — stating that Russia had launched a war of aggression, whereas Israel was defending itself against Hamas.
Israel launched its military operations in Gaza and the wider Middle East after the Gaza-based Islamist group Hamas — listed as a terror organization by Israel, the US, EU and others — launched a surprise attack on October 7, 2023, leading to the deaths of some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and with another 250 being taken hostage.
Israel has killed more than 58,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to figures from the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. The UN considers the figures largely reliable, but an independent survey published in the journal Nature in late June said the death toll was likely closer to 84,000.
More Palestinians killed waiting for food in Gaza
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video