Gaza war
Merz supports Israeli actions in Rafah
Friedrich Merz is welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. photo
© Kobi Gideon/GPO/dpa
The German opposition leader is visiting Israel for the first time since the terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas and is clearly committed to the Israeli government.
The civilian population is being used by Hamas as a protective shield in order to make the fight against terror more difficult. “In this respect, it is now up to Hamas to ensure that there are no more civilian victims,” added Merz.
Merz said he initially congratulated Netanyahu on the release of two more hostages. “That’s a good sign.” But there are still many hostages held by the terrorists. “It is important that the Israeli army, that the Israeli government is now successful in the real destruction of Hamas,” said the Union faction leader. “And that’s the path they’re on.” He also spoke to Netanyahu about the humanitarian situation of the people in the Gaza Strip. Aid organizations speak of a catastrophic situation in the coastal strip and warn of the loss of more lives if Israel advances into the town of Rafah on the border with Egypt as announced.
Merz: Fully support the fight against terrorism
The Palestinian civilian population will be warned about military operations and asked by telephone and leaflets to leave those areas in which military actions would then take place, said Merz. “But it is also true: there are civilian victims. There will continue to be civilian victims.” At the same time, he emphasized: “The goal of finally defeating Hamas terror is, I think, a very understandable goal.” Merz told the news channel ntv: “This is not an attack on Rafah. This is a further fight against terrorism in this region.” Netanyahu assured him very credibly that Israel would do everything to protect the civilian population.
Netanyahu also thanked the support from Germany and the clear stance of the Union faction and the CDU, said Merz. He confirmed Netanyahu: “As a parliamentary group and also as a party, we stand behind the State of Israel, and also behind the government, which is trying to really end this conflict now.”
Netanyahu thanks Merz and Germany for their support
The Israeli government’s press office said Netanyahu thanked Merz for his unwavering support of Israel and its right to self-defense, as well as Germany’s historic commitment to Israel. In the afternoon, Merz met President Izchak Herzog and Foreign Minister Israel Katz. Merz was also scheduled to have talks with opposition leader Jair Lapid and Benny Gantz during the two-day trip to Israel. Gantz is a member of the Israeli war cabinet.
CDU leader: UNRWA must refute involvement in terrorism
With regard to the allegations of cooperation between employees of the UN Palestinian Relief Agency and Hamas, Merz told the news channel ntv that if UNRWA “is not in a position to really clearly and clearly refute any involvement in this terror, then it must involve other United Nations institutions Nations or the international community that will provide humanitarian aid to this region in the future. The Israeli military said it had recently discovered a Hamas tunnel that is said to run under the headquarters of the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA in the city of Gaza.
On his first visit since the Islamist Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, the German opposition leader also visited the largest hospital in Jerusalem. The faction leader was informed there about the work of the hospital after the Hamas attack. Merz then said that he had also spoken to a patient who was seriously injured in the military operation in the Gaza Strip. He also met the mother of a family with four small children who is still waiting for her husband to be released or freed from being held hostage by Hamas terrorists. During the very personal discussions, “the full dimension of this conflict became clear,” said the CDU politician.