Germany urges Israel to immediately improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza

Berlin has urged Israel to urgently improve humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, a German government official said on Monday ahead of a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Germany has been one of Israel’s most prominent supporters since the war in Gaza began on 7 October 2023, but Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government has recently shifted its tone toward the Israeli state amid the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the besieged territory.

The German government’s representative for human rights and humanitarian aid, Lars Castellucci, said that “the Israeli government must improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza without delay, fully, sustainably, and in accordance with humanitarian principles and international law.”

He condemned the suffering of civilians, especially children, “who bear no guilt or responsibility.”

He noted that Germany has increased the amount of humanitarian aid sent to Gaza “several times,” but it “remains ineffective” as long as it does not reach those in need.

While Castellucci reiterated Germany’s “special responsibility” for Israel’s security and the need for the “immediate release” of hostages held in the territory, he stressed the necessity of a ceasefire and reaching a lasting political settlement based on a two-state solution.

The United Nations officially declared famine in Gaza on 22 August, saying about 500,000 people are living in a “catastrophic” situation inside the devastated strip.

The war erupted after an unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israel that killed 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli data.

The Israeli military campaign has killed at least 63,459 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, whose figures the United Nations regards as credible.