War in the Middle East: Baerbock calls for humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip

In view of the continued dramatic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock criticized Israel in clear terms and called for action. “Never in the last 12 months has so little help come to the Gaza Strip as now,” said the Green politician. All border crossings into the coastal area would have to be opened for aid deliveries. Israel must do more for the civilian population – “without excuses.”

Dozens of people were killed in new attacks by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. According to Israel, a senior Islamic Jihad terrorist was killed in the Gaza Strip. In Riyadh today, at the invitation of Saudi Arabia, dozens of Arab and Islamic countries want to discuss the war in the Middle East.

Baerbock: Israel did not keep promises

With regard to the humanitarian situation, Baerbock criticized that Israel had repeatedly made promises in this regard, which then “were not kept”. “A large proportion of the over two million people suffer from acute malnutrition and live in unimaginable conditions,” Baerbock continued. Nowhere in the world are there so many children with amputations in such a small area. “Large parts of Gaza are an absolute field of rubble,” said the minister.

With winter approaching, nothing is more urgent than the release of the hostages held by the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the delivery of urgently needed aid to the civilian population. Israel’s right to self-defense finds its limit in international humanitarian law and this includes that humanitarian access must be granted at all times, warned Baerbock. She again called for a ceasefire.

Israel: Terror commander killed in Gaza Strip

The Israeli army said it killed the military chief of the terrorist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the Gaza Strip, Mohammed Abu Sachil. He only took office in May, after his predecessor was also killed by the Israeli army.

Islamic Jihad confirmed Abu Sachil’s death to the German Press Agency. According to the army, he died in an attack on a former school in the north of the Gaza Strip. His son and daughter and three other people were also killed. The PIJ is considered one of the most radical militant groups in the Middle East, but is considered less powerful than Hamas.

According to Palestinian reports, dozens of people died in an Israeli attack in the northern Gaza Strip, including many minors, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Many deaths again in attacks in Lebanon

Israel again attacked targets in Lebanon. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, at least 38 people were killed and others were injured in Israeli air strikes. At least 23 people died in an attack on the town of Almat alone, about 15 kilometers east of the port city of Byblos – including seven children.

When asked, the Israeli army said that Hezbollah weapons depots had been attacked. Measures such as aerial reconnaissance had previously been taken to avoid civilian casualties. The details of the attack are still being investigated.

Meanwhile, Israel’s military said it shot down a drone from Lebanon. The flying object was first observed and then shot down in the Galilee region in northern Israel, it said.

Defense Minister Katz: Hezbollah defeated

Israel’s new Defense Minister Israel Katz declared the Lebanese Hezbollah militia defeated, according to a media report. Israel’s strikes had defeated the militia, and the elimination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was the crowning jewel, Katz said at a State Department event, according to a report in the Times of Israel.

Israel claims to have discovered Hezbollah tunnel under cemetery

According to its own information, the Israeli army discovered a Hezbollah militia tunnel system filled with weapons in southern Lebanon, which was partially built under a cemetery. The army said command and living quarters as well as storage facilities containing weapons and combat equipment were found in the complex beneath the graves. There was initially no further information about the location. Israeli soldiers normally blow up such tunnels. In this case, however, the approximately one kilometer long facility was sealed with around 4,500 cubic meters of concrete.

Israeli citizens urged to be careful at events abroad

After the attacks by mostly pro-Palestinian youths on Israeli football fans in Amsterdam, Israel’s National Security Council called on citizens to exercise caution at events abroad. They should avoid sporting and cultural events outside Israel in which Israeli teams or artists take part, as the Haaretz newspaper reported, citing the Security Council. This warning also applies to the Nations League game between France and Israel on Thursday in Paris.

On the night of Thursday to Friday there were targeted attacks on Israeli fans after a soccer game between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv. The attacks were condemned as anti-Semitic violence. Amsterdam had imposed a ban on demonstrations. On Sunday, police arrested dozens of participants in a banned pro-Palestinian demonstration there.

At the invitation of Saudi Arabia, representatives from more than 50 Arab and other Islamic states want to discuss the situation in the Middle East in Riyadh today. According to Saudi information, the meeting will be about the “sinful Israeli aggression against the occupied Palestinian territories and its extension to Lebanon.” A year ago, Saudi Arabia invited people to a similar meeting. Among other things, a committee of various ministers was set up to work towards an end to the Gaza war. The initiative has not yet had any effect.