Germany urges Israel to allow aid into Gaza

Germany yesterday urged Israel to immediately allow unimpeded access to humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

“Unimpeded access for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip must be guaranteed at all times,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told a press briefing in Berlin.

He voiced his country’s concern over Israel’s move to ban aid into the war-torn enclave, while stressing that “granting or denial of humanitarian access is not a legitimate means of pressure in negotiations.”

Fischer said his country also calls on Hamas to release Israeli captives from Gaza.

Israel said Sunday it would not allow any more aid to enter Gaza over what it called Hamas’s refusal to accept a proposal to extend the expired first stage of the ceasefire and prisoner swap deal.

Israel said it had accepted a proposal by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to extend the ceasefire through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish holiday of Passover. However, Hamas demands that Israel engage in talks on the second phase of the deal as stipulated in previous agreements.

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