After Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to take control Gaza City, an increase in the 22-month conflict, Germany has suspended all military exports to Israel that could be used there.
The decision was made on Friday, shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed that the security cabinet had voted in favor of a plan to seize the largest city in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Despite growing international condemnation for Israel’s war, which has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people and created a starvation crisis, Netanyahu had earlier stated that Israeli forces were aiming to take complete military control of the entire Gaza Strip.
According to Merz, “the German government will not, until further notice, authorize any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip.”
Merz emphasized that Germany could no longer ignore the civilians’ continuing struggles with what he called Israel’s “right to defend itself” and the release of the Hamas captives.
The Israeli government’s approval of an even harsher military action in the Gaza Strip, according to him, makes it increasingly difficult for the German government to predict how these objectives will be realized.
Another significant ground operation’s timing is still unsure because it will likely depend on forcibly removing civilians and mobilizing thousands of soldiers, which almost certainly will only add to the humanitarian crisis.
96 children among the 197 people who died from malnutrition while fighting in Gaza, according to Gaza health officials, as a result of Israel’s ongoing stringent restrictions on humanitarian aid supplies. Famine is raging in the enclave, according to a UN-backed assessment.
Merz urged Israel to grant humanitarian organizations, including the UN and NGOs, full and constant access to civilians.
The Israeli government is now even more accountable than it was before for meeting their needs, Merz continued.
He also warned Israel against annexing the West Bank, which it holds.
A symbolic resolution calling for the West Bank’s annexation was approved by the Israeli parliament in July.
According to figures from the German parliament, Germany was one of Israel’s main military suppliers from October 2023 to May of this year when it issued 485 million euros ($564m) export licences to the country.
Source: Aljazeera
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