The Foreign Minister is visiting Israel for the sixth time since the Hamas attack. Even before she arrives, she speaks clearly about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. How will this be responded to?
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has urgently called on Israel to abandon the planned ground offensive against the Islamist Hamas in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. “There cannot be a major offensive on Rafah,” warned the Green Party politician in Cairo after a meeting with her Egyptian colleague Samih Schukri. In a statement at Cairo airport, Baerbock warned before flying to Israel in view of the dramatic humanitarian situation in Gaza: “People cannot disappear into thin air.”
A meeting with her Israeli colleague Israel Katz is planned in Jerusalem on Tuesday morning, on Baerbock’s sixth visit to Israel since Hamas’ terrorist attack on the country on October 7th. It is unclear in which atmosphere Baerbock’s conversation with Katz will take place.
Israel’s Foreign Minister: Expect continued support
After the Federal Foreign Minister called on Israel and Hamas the day before on X (formerly Twitter) for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire that should lead to a ceasefire, Katz replied on support it and not weaken it against the terrorist organization Hamas.” A humanitarian ceasefire cannot be maintained without the release of Israeli hostages. The minister added: “We must continue to work together to increase humanitarian assistance to Gaza.”
In Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, an estimated 1.5 million of the 2.2 million in the coastal region are seeking shelter from the fighting in other parts of Gaza in a confined space. According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the army has drawn up plans to bring civilians to safety.
Baerbock is calling for the land route to be opened again
In Cairo, the Federal Foreign Minister emphasized that aid deliveries from the air and by sea could only make a small contribution to supplying the people of Gaza. “What we need is the opening of the land route.” The Israeli government has a responsibility to guarantee access to food and water as well as safe places to escape. Baerbock accused Israel of not distinguishing strongly enough between military and civilian targets. This, as well as the humanitarian situation, further encouraged terrorism in the Gaza Strip. “No hostage will be freed if children in Gaza are currently starving,” she said, addressing the Israeli government.
“Don’t pit the suffering of both sides against each other”
The minister advocated seeing the suffering on both sides and not playing it off against each other. “We must do everything to ensure that the terrible situation for the people in Gaza finally ends. And we must do everything to ensure that the families who have been waiting for their loved ones, their daughters, sons and parents for over five months, do so “People will finally come home and the threat to Israel from the terrorist organization Hamas will end.”
In total, more than 130 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip. There are probably only about a hundred of them still alive. It is unclear how many Germans are among the hostages. In November, 14 German citizens were released along with other hostages.
Baerbock meets Palestinian President Abbas
In the evening, the Federal Foreign Minister is scheduled to visit the Palestinian territories. In Ramallah, Baerbock wants to speak to Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and Foreign Minister Riad Malki.
According to a media report in mid-February, Abbas called on Hamas to quickly conclude a hostage agreement with Israel. The Islamist organization should agree to such a deal to protect the Palestinian people and prevent an Israeli attack on the city of Rafah. People must be spared another catastrophe. An attack on Rafah would result in thousands of casualties, suffering and displacement.
At the start of her trip, Baerbock announced that it would once again be about what a political horizon could look like after the end of the Gaza war. “Only the prospect of a two-state solution with a reformed Palestinian Authority as a first step towards a democratic Palestinian state can offer people a life of security and dignity,” she demanded. The two-state solution means an independent Palestinian state that exists peacefully side by side with Israel. Netanyahu rejects a two-state solution, as does the Palestinian organization Hamas.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
