German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul criticized Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip in front of his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar, at a press conference in Berlin on Thursday.
Wadephul again called for more humanitarian aid to be allowed into the enclave, but also said that Germany would continue to deliver weapons to Israel, saying the country needed to defend itself.
He also decried the Israeli government’s announcement that it would allow 22 more settlements.
In response, Sa’ar said that pressure on Hamas was the only way to end the war.
“Pressure on Israel, attacks, statements, and decisions against Israel, threatening Israel with sanctions, as some other European countries are doing; not only will it not help this effort [to end the war]: It will cause Hamas to harden its stance,” the foreign minister noted in a speech in Berlin.
Sa'ar fires back about Gaza aid program
Sa’ar then said that while he had listened to Wadephul’s concerns regarding Gaza’s humanitarian situation, Israel’s new aid distribution situation was more effective.
“We are maintaining both humanitarian channels in order to address the situation,” he said, adding that the IDF was continuing with aid distribution through UN agencies.
“Frankly, this method has unfortunately enabled Hamas to empower itself over the civilian population. The aid became an economic source for Hamas, fueling its war machine.”
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has delivered 6 million meals since it started distributing aid in the Gaza Strip.
Sa’ar then went on to say that since the new system is managed by an international fund, Hamas would be unable to take advantage of the influx of humanitarian aid into the enclave.
“We believe that expanding it [the new aid program] will help shorten the war,” he said. “It will hurt Hamas’s economy. It will hurt its stronghold over the people of Gaza.”