Newly elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is sending his Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful to Israel over the Israeli government's plans to take control of the distribution of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, "Reuters" reported, quoted by BTA.
Wadeful will arrive in Israel over the weekend. Merz stressed that Israeli authorities must comply with international law and that humanitarian aid must be provided to Gaza.
The chancellor said that Germany was watching with “considerable concern“ developments of recent days. He stressed that Israel has the right to defend itself, but also has a responsibility to fulfill its humanitarian obligations.
Humanitarian organizations have sharply criticized Israeli plans to take control of aid distribution and use private companies to deliver food to the population. Deliveries have been blocked by Israeli forces for two months.
Israel has not yet provided details of the plan, stating only that it is part of a broader operation that could include a complete takeover of Gaza. Israeli authorities have announced that the blockade will continue until the evacuation of the population from the northern and central parts of the enclave to a specially designated area near the southern city of Rafah. People entering the zone will be screened by Israeli forces to prevent aid from reaching Hamas.
Around a third of Gaza has already been cleared to create so-called "security zones". This, along with the relocation of much of the population to the south, has raised concerns that the ultimate goal is a full occupation of the territory.
According to the UN's humanitarian agency (OCHA), the proposed measures are "the opposite of what is necessary". Other agencies also expressed concern, stressing that they had only been informed of the plan verbally.
Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said on the social network X (formerly Twitter) that it was unacceptable for a party to an armed conflict to control the delivery of life-saving aid to civilians.
Israel, for its part, accused humanitarian agencies, including the UN, of allowing aid to fall into the hands of Hamas. According to the Israeli government, the suspension of aid is a means of pressuring the group to release 59 Israeli hostages.