Even Germany must speak up when 'boundaries,' 'international law' crossed, says Merz

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that Israel's recent attacks on Gaza are taking a humanitarian toll on civilians that can no longer be justified as a fight against terrorism.

"When boundaries are crossed, where humanitarian international law is really being violated, then Germany too, then the German chancellor too must say something about it," Merz told broadcaster WDR in a televised interview.

Germany has staunchly backed Israel's right to defend itself since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, that triggered the war, reflecting what it sees as its duty to stand by the country in atonement for its own role in the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews died.

But German government officials have increasingly stressed the need for Israel to adhere to international law in its response to the Hamas attacks, while mostly avoiding outright criticism of its actions in the Palestinian territories.

Merz, who has been in office for about three weeks, said: "The Israeli government must not do anything that, at some point, even its best friends are no longer willing to accept."

He added: "What the Israeli army is doing now in the Gaza Strip, frankly speaking, I no longer understand with what goal."

The chancellor sai

d he planned to hold a call with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week to tell him "to not overdo it," though he added that for "historical reasons" Germany would always be more guarded in its criticism than some of its European partners.

Aid has entered enclave after 11-week blockade

A hundred trucks carrying humanitarian aid from the UN and the international community, including flour, baby food, and medical equipment, were transferred on Wednesday through the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza after Israel lifted an 11-week blockade and began allowing limited deliveries into the enclave via the crossing.

The IDF cleared more than 120 trucks carrying food aid for distribution in Gaza in the past week, but there is an ongoing debate regarding how much of it is getting to Gazan civilians.

Hamas calls aid 'intelligence operation,' calls on Gazans to reject

The Hamas controlled-Palestinian Interior Ministry called on Gaza residents not to cooperate with the new aid mechanism initiated by Israel, Walla reported on Monday. It claimed this is an "intelligence operation for information gathering," which, they argue, will lead to "fights over a piece of bread."

The terror organization reportedly claims that the n

ew aid distribution mechanism is an intelligence operation aimed at collecting information and creating internal division, and that, according to them, Israel is using food as a weapon of war: "Resistance will force Israel to return to the old mechanism."

Looting taking place, Hamas responds with executions

Five aid trucks in the Gaza Strip were looted on Saturda

y, Israeli media reported. The stolen goods were sold to Gazans at inflated prices in areas such as Deir el-Balah and the Nuseirat refugee camp.

Hamas has executed four men for looting some of the aid trucks that have begun entering Gaza, sources familiar with the incident said on Monday, as a clan leader in southern Gaza issued a challenge to the militant group over guarding the convoys.

"The four criminals, who were executed, were involved in the crimes of looting and causing the death of members of a force tasked with securing aid trucks," one of the sources told Reuters.

Merz supports close Germany, Israel ties

"It is always important for the German government to keep its lines of communication open with the Israeli government and to be able to make its points directly," Merz's spokesperson Stefan Kornelius told a regular press conference last week.

Merz and Netanyahu held a phone call earlier this month, during which the German Chancellor expressed his concern about the fate of the remaining hostages in Gaza and the humanitarian situation in the enclave, with Merz expressing "his hope that negotiations on a ceasefire would soon get underway."

Following the national election, Merz announced that he had invited Netanyahu to visit Germany and said that he would find a way for the Israeli Prime Minister to visit without being arrested under a warrant by the International Criminal Court.

"I think it is a completely absurd idea that an Israeli prime minister cannot visit the Federal Republic of Germany," Merz said.