Germany calls for humanitarian pause amid concerns over planned Rafah operation

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN (AA) - German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Friday renewed her call for a humanitarian pause in Gaza, stressing that the situation in Rafah is increasingly worrying.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Baerbock said while Germany supports Israel’s right to self-defense against Hamas, it also expects Tel-Aviv to abide by International law.

“A right to self-defense clearly means fighting terrorist units, and ensuring the protection of the civilian population. That's why I spoke to a wide range of actors on this,” she said, referring to her recent meetings in Israel.

“We need safe areas for more than 1 million people who have taken shelter in Rafah. We need not only safe escape corridors, but also safe places, in the long term with the necessary infrastructure,” Baerbock said.

“A place is not safe if there is nothing to eat, nothing to drink and no medical care. And above all, a humanitarian pause is needed,” she stressed, adding that this could also facilitate the release of the remaining captives held by Hamas.

Despite international outcry, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to move forward with plans to launch a ground offensive in Rafah, which hosts more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, killing at least 28,775 people and injuring 68,552 others. Around 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the initial Hamas attack.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of 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, which in 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.