Two separate discussions, but roughly the same message. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke in separate interviews this Saturday about the plight of civilians in the Gaza Strip bombed by the Israeli army following Hamas attacks.
The war in the Middle East was sparked by the Islamist movement’s bloody Oct. 7 attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, which Israeli officials said killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. In response, Israel promised to “destroy” Hamas by mercilessly shelling the besieged territory.
According to the Hamas government, the bombings killed 12,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians. A figure that Le Parisien cannot confirm.
Israel says it is focusing on civilians
According to a press release from the office, during a telephone interview this Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the German Chancellor “stressed the urgent need to improve the humanitarian situation of the residents of the Gaza Strip.” “A humanitarian ceasefire could significantly improve the assistance provided to the population,” he added.
Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, “spoke in detail about Israel’s efforts to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip still dissatisfied with Hamas,” according to the press release.
Nevertheless, the German head of state assured his colleague of “Germany’s complete solidarity with the people of Israel.” “He promised that Germany would stand unwaveringly on Israel’s side,” the office said.
No “forced displacement of Palestinians”
The head of the European executive, for her part, met this Saturday with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo.
“I discussed the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip with President Sissi, thanked Egypt for its role in providing and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid to vulnerable Palestinians,” Ursula von der Leyen said on X (ex-Twitter).
“We agree with the principle of nonviolent displacement of Palestinians and with a political horizon based on a two-state solution,” Israeli and Palestinian, she added. More than two-thirds of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents have already been forced to flee their homes because of the war, according to the UN.
The European Commission President then headed towards the Rafah checkpoint, according to images she posted of the Gaza Strip.
“We all agree that the amount of aid coming into Gaza needs to be increased, and this is the idea behind the Cyprus maritime corridor proposal,” she said.
Cyprus President Nicos Christodoulides announced on Friday that Cyprus and Israel are close to reaching an agreement to open a humanitarian aid corridor between the eastern Mediterranean island and the Gaza Strip.
Source: Le Parisien
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
