Middle East: Federal Government: Israel has to secure gaza supply

According to government spokesman Stefan Kornelius, the federal government sees “first easy progress in humanitarian aid for the population in the Gaza Strip”, which, however, were far from sufficient to relieve the emergency. Kornelius said this in writing after Foreign Minister Johann WadePhul (CDU) had informed the security cabinet about his trip to Israel and the West Bank.

Concern about the junction of relief goods

“Israel is still responsible for ensuring comprehensive care with the support of the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations,” said Kornelius. “At the same time, the federal government is concerned about information that large amounts of relief goods are held back by Hamas and criminal organizations.”

From German security circles it was said that 50 to 100 percent of the relief goods that came to the Gaza Strip would be branched off by Hamas or other criminal organizations. Since last week, 220 trucks with relief goods had come to the area every day. Two of three large water pipes in the Gaza Strip currently worked and one of ten electricity transmission lines. The flour price is 80 euros per kilogram. So far, 73 tons of relief goods have been thrown out of the air.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) thanked in a post to drop out of the air on Network X of the Bundeswehr as well as Jordanian and European partners. “We know: Airdops are only a small contribution to relieve the suffering of the people in Gaza. That is why we continue to work intensively to enable help through the country path.”

The Bundeswehr started its aid campaign on Friday. German transport aircraft had thrown pallets with food and medical equipment over the Gaza Strip, the Ministry of Defense said.

According to the UN, the Gaza Strip is right in front of a famine. Israel controls all access to the coastal area on the Mediterranean and did not allow any or only a few aid deliveries to be passed over several months.