Germany’s Green Party on Saturday strongly criticized Israel’s military action in the Gaza Strip, after the country launched a major new offensive in the sealed-off territory overnight.
The ongoing blockade of aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip and the renewed expansion of hostilities are “unacceptable,” Green Party leader Franziska Brantner said.
One in five people in Gaza is at risk of starvation, she added, referring to the latest IPC assessment on food security, which is supported by several UN organizations and aid groups.
Brantner said the German government must “make clear its position on compliance with international humanitarian law.”
Populist politician Sahra Wagenknecht meanwhile demanded an immediate halt to Germany’s arms deliveries to Israel, describing its actions in the Gaza Strip as “a campaign of destruction and a gigantic war crime.”
Wagenknecht, who leads the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, said the German government must immediately end its “policy of solidarity” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Observers fear Israel’s new offensive will lead to many more deaths in the coastal strip, where people have been living in catastrophic conditions for many months.
The Israeli military has not allowed aid deliveries into Gaza for more than two months, accusing the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas of reselling aid supplies to the increasingly destitute population.
Israel recently announced that it would allow aid deliveries to resume, but not through the existing channels.
Brantner demanded “unhindered access to humanitarian aid” as a matter of urgency. She accused German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul of supporting the reorganization of aid “instead of letting the established humanitarian actors do their work.”
During a recent trip to Israel, Wadephul expressed understanding for the Israeli argument that aid deliveries should not serve Hamas and pledged German support.
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