Gaza war
Baerbock to Israel: Comply with international humanitarian law
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock: Israel must allow more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
The German Foreign Minister makes an appeal to Israel. Baerbock calls for compliance with international humanitarian law and is in favor of a ceasefire.
On the sidelines of her East Africa trip, the Green Party politician said in Nairobi, with a view to the heavy fighting in the city in the south of the Gaza Strip, that she was “extremely concerned about the desperate situation of the people.”
“There are also rules when it comes to the right to self-defense, and international humanitarian law also applies to the fight against terrorists,” said Baerbock. “Israel must comply with this just like all other states in the world – even in a difficult environment in which Hamas breaks all the rules and uses people as protective shields.”
Israel urgently needs to allow more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and adapt its operations. “Many hundreds of thousands of people have sought protection in the south of Gaza on Israeli instructions – especially in UN facilities and other places,” emphasized Baerbock. “They can’t just disappear into thin air.” That’s why a call to leave these places is not enough. A humanitarian ceasefire is needed – also so that all hostages are released.
Heavy fighting in Gaza
The Israeli military and Palestinian health services reported heavy fighting in the west of the city of Khan Yunis. The Palestinian Red Crescent and eyewitnesses said Israeli forces also attacked targets around hospitals. Thousands of people are on the run. At the beginning of the week, the Israeli military launched an offensive in the western part of Khan Yunis, which it had not yet penetrated into.
The largest city in the southern Gaza Strip is considered a stronghold of the Islamist Hamas.