live blog
EU foreign policy chief Borrell has called on Israel to stop the attacks on Rafah. Germany is providing a further 39 million euros in aid for the people in the Gaza Strip. All developments in the live blog.
The chief Israeli military prosecutor, Jifat Tomer-Jeruschalmi, describes the air strike on Rafah, which left many civilians dead, as “very serious”. The details are still being investigated. They are determined to proceed with the utmost care, she said at a conference organized by the Israel Bar Association. “The armed forces regret any harm to non-combatants during the war.” According to Palestinian sources, dozens of people were killed in a refugee camp in an air strike.
The German government is providing a further 39 million euros in humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip. This was announced by delegation circles on the sidelines of consultations between EU foreign ministers in Brussels. The money will primarily go towards emergency health aid in Gaza and the fight against disease outbreaks such as cholera. This will be implemented with the help of international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO).
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has said he will call on the other 26 European Union member states to officially support the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and take measures to ensure that Israel respects its rulings. “I will call on the other 26 partners to declare support for the International Court of Justice and its decision, and if Israel continues to violate the Court’s ruling, we will try to take the right measures to enforce the decision,” he said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also urged Israel to recognize and implement the International Court of Justice’s decision. “These provisional measures of the ICJ are binding and of course they must be followed,” Baerbock said in Brussels.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell has criticized Israel’s attacks on the city of Rafah. The country is continuing its military action in the southern Gaza Strip despite the International Court of Justice’s request to immediately halt the action, the diplomat said. However, the International Court of Justice’s ruling must be implemented, Borrell said.
Before a meeting of EU foreign ministers, he also stated that he would support the establishment of a special EU mission to support the Rafah border crossing.
Significantly more Israelis with German ancestors have recently submitted applications to the German authorities for so-called compensation naturalization. In the first four months of 2024, 6,869 applications were already received from Israel, reports the editorial network Germany. In the whole of 2023, there were 9,129. In 2022, 5,670 Israelis applied for German citizenship.
Against the backdrop of the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, this indicates a significant increase for this year if the trend of the first four months continues. In total, there were almost 14,000 applications for compensation naturalization in 2023, compared to just under 11,400 in 2022. So far this year, a total of 9,371 people want to become German in this way. After Israel, the majority of applications come from the USA, by a clear margin.
Since August 2021, those persecuted by the Nazi regime and their descendants have had a legal right to a German passport. Descendants of Nazi victims who fled abroad to escape the Nazis can acquire German citizenship without any further requirements. This means that corresponding decrees from the Ministry of the Interior have been put on a legal basis and made more generous.
According to Palestinian sources, numerous people were killed in an Israeli air strike near the city of Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian presidency accused Israel of deliberately attacking a camp for displaced persons near Rafah and spoke of a “heinous massacre”.
The Israeli army, however, stated that the attack had hit a “Hamas complex in Rafah where important Hamas terrorists were active.” The attack, which used precision munitions, was directed against legitimate targets. “Precise intelligence information” had indicated that the site was being used by Hamas. According to the Israeli army, two high-ranking Hamas officials were killed in the attack.
Foreign Minister Baerbock has suggested resuming the EU control mission on the border between Gaza and Egypt. In Berlin, relatives and celebrities remembered the Hamas hostages.