Middle East live blog: ++ Baerbock calls for perspective for Palestinians ++

Foreign Minister Baerbock calls for a perspective on a non-violent future for Palestinians. US Secretary of State Blinken spoke by phone with the Israeli Defense Minister about alternatives to the ground offensive in Rafah. All developments in the live blog.

Israel has rejected militant Islamist Hamas’ conditions for a ceasefire as “delusional”. The demands showed that Hamas was not interested in any deal, said a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. In negotiations brokered by Egypt and Qatar, Hamas is aiming for a ceasefire to lead to an end to the war and for Israel to withdraw all troops from the Gaza Strip. Israel rules this out because the government wants to finally destroy Hamas.

According to the Israeli foreign minister, the UN Security Council’s call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has strengthened the militant Islamist Hamas and led it to reject a US compromise proposal on a new hostage deal. Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Israeli Army Radio that he was disappointed that the US did not veto the resolution.

“We expect friends to strengthen us in this difficult time and not to weaken us against Hamas and all the other enemies,” said Katz.

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock continued her visit to Israel with a meeting with her colleague Israel Katz. The meeting between the Green Party politician and Katz behind closed doors is likely to be about the current topics of discussion with the Israeli government: the UN demand for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, more help for the suffering civilian population, the demands for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

According to Iranian sources, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh will travel to Tehran later today. Meetings with official representatives of Iran are planned, reports the state broadcaster Press TV. Iran is one of the supporters of the militant Islamist Hamas.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, sees “reasonable reasons” for assuming Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli actions show “patterns of violence,” Albanese wrote in a report titled “Anatomy of a Genocide.” There is clear evidence that Israel has violated three of the five acts listed in the UN Genocide Convention, it says.

Israel’s diplomatic mission to the United Nations in Geneva rejected the report, calling it a disgrace to the Human Rights Council.

Anyone who wants to obtain a German passport will in future also have to answer questions about Israel, Judaism and the Holocaust in naturalization tests. In the future, such questions could include what a Jewish prayer house is called, when the State of Israel was founded and what constitutes Germany’s special responsibility for Israel. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told “Spiegel”. As justification, she said that anti-Semitism, racism and other forms of contempt for humanity preclude naturalization.

During a visit to the West Bank, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) spoke out in favor of a “reorganization of the Palestinian Authority by a technocrat government.” The Palestinians now need “the prospect of a better, non-violent future in their own state without Hamas,” said Baerbock after talks with her Palestinian colleague Riad al-Maliki and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

A “reformed” and “effective democratic” Palestinian government and authority is “the backbone of such a future”. In the discussions, she made it clear that “urgent reforms of the various institutions” are needed. This applies especially to the fight against corruption. “But this also applies to activating the local economy” and to a dialogue with parts of society, said the minister.

Today Baerbock is meeting her Israeli counterpart Katz for talks.

Hamas has accused the Israeli government of being “fully responsible” for the “failure” of ceasefire talks in the Gaza Strip so far. The Israeli government refuses to respond to the “basic demands,” Hamas said that night. Therefore, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his “extremist government” would bear full responsibility for the “failure” of the negotiation efforts and the prevention of the conclusion of an agreement so far. Hamas did not provide any information about whether it was ending the talks.

The British Air Force has dropped more than ten tons of food over the Gaza Strip for the first time, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense. “The aid shipment, which consists of water, rice, cooking oil, flour, canned goods and baby food, will support the people of Gaza,” the ministry said.

According to a statement from his ministry, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken underlined in a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Joav Gallant that there are alternatives to a ground invasion in Rafah that would better ensure both Israel’s security and the protection of Palestinian civilians.

Hamas wants to stick to its original proposal for a ceasefire. The extremist organization informed international mediators in Cairo of this. Hamas continues to insist on a comprehensive withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and the return of displaced Palestinians to their hometowns. Hamas also called for a “real prisoner exchange.” There is no statement yet from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

Hamas presented international mediators with a ceasefire proposal in mid-March that called for the release of Israeli hostages in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners. The extremist organization had stated that it wanted to first exchange some sick and elderly Israeli hostages as well as women and children for 700 to 1,000 Palestinians. Hundreds of these Palestinians are currently serving life sentences in Israeli prisons. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described this proposal as “unrealistic.” Israel will continue its ground offensive until Hamas is eliminated.

Germany has provided 45 million euros for the work of the Palestinian aid organization UNRWA. According to estimates by aid organizations, thousands of unexploded bombs threaten the people of the Gaza Strip. You can read the developments in the live blog.