German chancellor calls for stepping up humanitarian aid to Gaza

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed on Wednesday the urgent need to massively step up humanitarian aid to Gaza as the situation is dramatically deteriorating in the Israeli-occupied enclave.

It is important “to provide aid in Gaza on a much larger scale than is currently the case. We have also supported this even further with our own aid campaigns,” Scholz said at a joint press conference with Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin in Berlin.

Earlier in the day, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius gave a green light for the country's air force to drop urgently needed supplies over the Gaza Strip later this week.

“The people in Gaza lack the bare necessities. We would like to do our part to ensure that they have access to food and medicine,” Pistorius said.

According to aid organizations, the situation of the people in the coastal strip is becoming increasingly desperate as children are beginning to die of starvation.

The UN has warned that there is a risk of a hunger crisis if aid deliveries by truck are not increased in Gaza where around 2.2 million people live.

Israel has faced widespread international criticism and condemnation for its brutal military actions in Gaza since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack led by the Palestinian group Hamas.

More than 31,272 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in Gaza, and over 73,024 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, at least 27 people have died of malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza as a result of the Israeli blockade.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.