The German government has called on Israel to ensure comprehensive supplies for the population in the Gaza Strip. While there has been "initial, slight progress in humanitarian aid," government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius announced after Security Cabinet deliberations on Saturday, this is "far from sufficient to alleviate the emergency." Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU is also now calling for sanctions against Israel.
According to Kornelius, Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) informed the Security Cabinet by telephone about the results of his recently concluded trip to Israel and the West Bank. According to government sources, possible means of increasing pressure on Israel to facilitate more aid were also discussed. However, no decisions were made.
Israel "remains obligated to ensure comprehensive supplies, including with the support of the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations," Kornelius stated. At the same time, the German government expressed "concern about reports that large quantities of aid are being withheld by Hamas and criminal organizations." German security sources reported that 220 trucks carrying aid are currently arriving in the Gaza Strip overland every day. However, between 50 and 100 percent of the deliveries fail to reach the population because they are intercepted by the radical Islamist Hamas or criminal organizations.
On Friday evening, Merz thanked the German Armed Forces, which, in cooperation with Jordan and other countries, had begun airdropping relief supplies over the Gaza Strip the same day. However, the so-called airdrops were "only a small contribution to alleviating the suffering of the people in Gaza," Merz explained on the online service X. "That's why we continue to work intensively to facilitate the delivery of aid by land."
The Security Cabinet had already met on Monday to discuss the situation in the Middle East. In addition to Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil (SPD), and Wadephul, it also includes Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD), and Chief of Staff Thorsten Frei (CDU).
After the meeting on Monday, Merz said that the German government reserves the right to take steps to increase pressure on Israel due to the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. Demands for this range from a halt to arms deliveries and sanctions against individual Israeli ministers to the suspension of the EU Association Agreement with Israel.
Green Party co-leader Katharina Dröge called for "a halt to arms exports to Israel that could be used in Gaza." Dröge also told the "Stuttgarter Zeitung" and the "Stuttgarter Nachrichten" on Saturday that sanctions against the far-right Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir were necessary. Both openly called for violence against the Palestinian civilian population.
In light of the situation in the Gaza Strip, CDU foreign policy expert Norbert Röttgen advocated for EU sanctions "if Israel's policy doesn't change very quickly." Then "Germany, too, would be forced to take concrete measures together with our partners," he told the weekly newspaper "Zeit." "This also means suspending projects and agreements that explicitly include a commitment to humanitarian and international legal obligations."
Earlier this week, the EU Commission proposed partially suspending Israel's participation in the Horizon Europe research funding program, which includes such funding. Specifically, it concerns the funding of startups operating in defense and security-related fields. Germany has not yet agreed to this.
From breaking news to thought-provoking opinion pieces, our newsletter keeps you informed & engaged.
