Germany calls on Israel to respond with ‘proportionality’ in Gaza

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - Germany on Wednesday said that it continues to stand by Israel, but urged the Israeli military to respond with “proportionality.”

“What is important is that the fight against Hamas is carried out with the necessary proportionality,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer said at a press briefing in Berlin.

His remarks came after a series of Israeli airstrikes on the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday led to hundreds of casualties, according to the Interior Ministry in the besieged enclave.

Fischer’s remarks are in stark contrast with statements by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell who deplored the Jabalia refugee camp bombing.

“Building on EU Council’s clear stance that Israel has the right to defend itself in line with international humanitarian law and ensuring the protection of all civilians, I am appalled by the high number of casualties following the bombing by Israel of the Jabalia refugee camp,” Borrell said on X.

Earlier in the day, the German Central Council of Muslims on Wednesday accused Israel of war crimes in the Gaza war, saying its deadly military actions amount to a collective punishment of Palestinian civilians.

“We are now seeing indescribable suffering falling on Gaza. From our point of view, the war bombing by Israel is a war crime," Aiman Mazyek, the chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, said in an interview with public broadcaster ZDF.

He stressed that “collective punishments” of the civilian Palestinian population would “not lead to resolving” the Middle East conflict.

The Israeli army has widened its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since the surprise offensive by Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

More than 10,300 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 8,796 Palestinians and more than 1,538 Israelis.