INTERVIEW - Palestinian premier urges Germany to use its 'unique relationship' with Israel to stop Gaza war

By Burak Bir

MUNICH (AA) - The prime minister of Palestine said he has asked the German government to use its "unique relationship" with Israel to put an end to its deadly war on the Gaza Strip.

"We have been talking to everybody to try to put Israel under serious pressure so that an incursion into (the southern Gaza city of) Rafah does not take place," Mohammad Shtayyeh told Anadolu, referring to his efforts during talks with other politicians at the 60th Munich Security Conference.

Pointing to the dire humanitarian situation in Rafah, which is packed with hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians, Shtayyeh said they want Palestinians there to go back to their homes in central and northern Gaza.

"So Israel now thinks that Palestinians are limited to one option -- just to cross the border. Egypt is not going to allow that, and we do not want that to happen," he noted.

Some 1.5 million Palestinians displaced by Israel's offensive on Gaza are holed up in Rafah, seeking refuge from hostilities that have laid waste to wide swathes of the Palestinian territory.

Israel's reported plans for an offensive on the city have sounded international alarm bells, with many countries calling for restraint or for the operation to be cancelled.

"We want people to simply go back to their homes and these atrocities and this genocide should stop and the aggression against our people should stop immediately. That is our message to this conference, and that is what we have been talking about," he added.

In response to a question about his talks with the German government, Shtayyeh said he urged Germany to exert pressure on Israel.

"We have asked Germany to put every serious pressure, to use its unique relationship with Israel to call upon Israel to stop the war. This is the most important thing for us," he underlined.

"Germany is a friend of Israel and can play a very important role in stopping the war."

- Working with all regional players to stop 'crimes' against Palestinians

Shtayyeh emphasized the need to increase the amount of international aid to Gazans.

"Because now, all what we get into Gaza is no more than 8% of what our people need," he said.

Asked whether the Palestinian Authority is in favor of a possible deal between Hamas and Israel, including an exchange of prisoners, he said they support "every effort that calls for an end to the crimes against our people."

"We need to see this thing stop. We need to see this situation end and we need to see a situation in which the sufferings of our people end, so therefore we support every deal possible," he noted.

Shtayyeh added that they have been working with Qatar, Egypt, Türkiye and all other players in the region "in order for these crimes against our people to stop."

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands, 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.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas. The ensuing Israeli attacks have killed nearly 29,000 and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities, while less than 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the 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.