Germany will provide €50 million in immediate humanitarian aid to Gaza Strip residents, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in Amman on Thursday during an official visit to Jordan. She made the announcement as the Palestinian death tolls rapidly rises and whole swathes of Gaza are turned to rubble amid an ongoing Israeli bombardment.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi, the German politician said that they intend to provide assistance to those in need through international organizations such as the World Food Program (WFP) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
She stressed that Germany would like to contribute in particular to improving healthcare as well, according to a report from Hungarian news outlet Magyar Nemzet. Israel has ordered hospitals across Gaza to evacuate, and medical supplies are either completely gone or running low in most of Gaza’s hospitals.
“We are preparing to send medical teams to the Gaza Strip and to create the possibility to treat children with serious injuries,” Baerbock.
Baerbock and Safadi agreed that the conflict should end with a two-state agreement. They added that they would do their utmost to avoid the conflict spreading to the Middle East region.
Gaza is facing a humanitarian crisis that has already killed 4,000, including many women and children, and left 15,000 wounded, amid Israel’s bombing campaign and ongoing siege, which has cut electricity, food and water to the Gaza Strip. A quarter of the northern Gaza Strip’s homes and buildings have been destroyed.
“Israel is conducting the largest campaign of destruction of buildings and residential houses in the Gaza Strip in modern history, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor stated,” reported Relief Web, which is funded by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The organization is now accusing Israel of war crimes, writing, “Israel’s army is bound not to target civilians or civilian infrastructure at all, Euro-Med Monitor confirmed, but in reality has committed multiple and complex violations that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity through the massive firepower it has used and continues to use against densely populated civilian areas.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said already a week ago ""No electricity, no water, no food. Human Animals” to all Palestinians in Gaza. 100% https://t.co/xN9WJLkE2u
— Zachary Foster (@_ZachFoster) October 17, 2023Israeli authorities have stated that a ground invasion is imminent in response to Hamas’ terror attack on Israeli soil, which killed over 1,200 people, the vast majority of whom were civilians.
There are now ongoing fears from European politicians that the conflict could spark a mass exodus of Palestinians, many of whom could end up in Europe.
