UPDATE - Germany urges Israel again to refrain from a large-scale ground offensive in Rafah

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

UPDATES WITH MORE COMMENTS FROM GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON, ADDS REMARKS FROM OPPOSITION LAWMAKER WAGENKNECHT

BERLIN (AA) - Germany on Monday once again called on Israel to refrain from a large-scale ground attack on Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.

“The Federal Government and the Foreign Minister have already said repeatedly in the past that a large-scale ground offensive on Rafah would be a humanitarian catastrophe, and indeed a humanitarian catastrophe with consequences,” deputy Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kathrin Deschauer said at a press briefing in Berlin.

Berlin has “warned and advised against such a large-scale (military) offensive,” she added.

Deschauer warned that the Israeli ground attack on Rafah could endanger the ongoing Gaza cease-fire negotiations.

“The Federal Government's position is that the negotiations must not be jeopardized and all sides must make maximum efforts” to ensure the success of the talks, she added.

Israel has reportedly begun evacuating some neighborhoods in Rafah, where approximately 1.5 million displaced Palestinians have taken refuge in the southern Gaza Strip, despite opposition by the international community.

Meanwhile, a German opposition lawmaker said the Israeli government is “preparing for another war crime.”

The fact that the federal government is not imposing a ban on arms exports to Israel is “aiding and abetting war crimes,” said BSW Alliance Chairwoman Sahra Wagenknecht.

Israel's government is waging a "bloody campaign of revenge in Gaza that has long since had nothing to do with legitimate self-defense," said Wagenknecht.

Accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sabotaging the two-state solution, she said there is a need to put more diplomatic and economic pressure on Israel.