Berlin's foreign minister said that despite strong international opposition to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's offensive in Gaza, Germany will continue to arm Israel.
Johann Wadephul, who chaired his Israeli counterpart in Berlin, said he was deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza but recalled previous suggestions that Germany would review the weapons delivered to Israel.
“Israel must be able to defend this violence.
“That’s why, of course, Germany will continue to support Israel by providing weapons.''
Netanyahu faces growing international pressure on Israel's actions in Gaza. Britain, France and Canada warned of “specific actions” last month, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the actions of the Israeli army were “no longer justified.”
Spain began this week to cancel licenses for Israeli defense companies that provide Spanish armed forces to “to achieve Israel’s technological independence.”
Germany, who sees strong support for Israel as part of its historical responsibility for the Holocaust, finds himself in shackles as Meers warns that violations of international law are happening.
Last week, Wadephul proposed a review of German weapons within his party, a review of Israel, which has totaled nearly €500 million since the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering war.
He has since appeared to have looked back, while stressing the need for more humanitarian aid to reach Gaza. The United Nations warns that the entire population of Gaza is at risk of famine, and Israel has restricted most aid to enter the enclaves since March.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the group behind a controversial new U.S. and Israel-backed aid package, said Thursday it reopened food distribution sites after the chaos began.
Gaza's Ministry of Health has accused Israeli soldiers of killing dozens of Palestinians in recent days when they tried to reach the aid allocation site.
The Israeli military denied shootings of Palestinian civilians “near the location of humanitarian aid allocation” on Sunday, but said its soldiers opened fire at people Monday and Tuesday, at people they claimed to pose a threat to them.
GHF said Tuesday it was aware of reports of casualties earlier in the day, but said they occurred “far beyond our safe distribution locations and operating areas.”
The killings demanded by UN officials to investigate have sparked international anger, with UN Human Rights Director Volker Türk condemning the attack "unreasonable."
"Assaults against civilians constitute a serious violation of international law and war crimes," he said on Tuesday.
Until March, Israel launched a full-scale attack on Gaza, where the United Nations led the enclave's 21,000 people, which delivered them to people at multiple locations throughout the territory.
Under the new distribution model, Gazans must (usually long-distance travel on foot) to receive boxed meals from distribution centers secured by the U.S. private security contractors and Israeli military.
Israel said the system is designed to prevent aid from falling into Hamas' hands.
But the United Nations and other aid groups say they have not seen a large-scale transfer of aid and accused Israel of using the new regime to exploit the despair of hungry Palestinians to place them in Gaza in southern Gaza.
Other reports by Barney Jopson in Madrid