During his trip to the Middle East, Scholz calls for an urgent ceasefire in the Gaza war. Cockney Rebel singer Steve Harley dies

During his second trip to the Middle East since the start of the Gaza war, Chancellor Olaf Scholz urgently called for a ceasefire. “It is very clear that we must now do everything we can to ensure that the situation does not become even worse than it already is,” the SPD politician said on Sunday after a meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah in Aqaba in view of a possible Israeli ground offensive in the south of the Gaza Strip. “I believe that a large number of casualties in such an offensive would make any peaceful development very difficult. Many people in Israel know that too.”

In Israel, Scholz wanted to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. Immediately before that, he made it clear that he was taking part in a military operation in Rafah on the border with Egypt and that he firmly opposed an end to the Gaza war before all Israeli goals had been achieved. “If we end the war now before its objectives are achieved, it will mean that Israel has lost the war,” the head of government said. This will not be allowed.

Also meetings with family members of hostages

In addition to Netanyahu, Scholz also wanted to speak with President Izchak Herzog, Minister Benny Gantz and relatives of hostages. The Gaza War was sparked by a terrorist attack on Israel by the Palestinian Hamas on October 7. Israel wants to destroy Hamas and free the hostages from the terrorist organization’s control. It is believed that about 100 of them are still alive.

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Scholz traveled to Israel for the first time ten days after the Hamas attack to assure the country of German solidarity. “The security of Israel and its citizens are German matters of state,” he said at the time. “Our responsibility arising from the Holocaust makes it our duty to stand up for the existence and security of the State of Israel.”

German reason for state: Scholz refrains from criticizing the military operation

Unlike other allies, Scholz has remained very reluctant to criticize the Israeli military operation against Hamas, which Hamas health authority says has killed tens of thousands of people, also for German state reasons. This is being viewed critically in the Arab world. However, Scholz’s warnings have become clearer step by step. The extent to which he was willing to pressure Netanyahu during the talks in Jerusalem remained unclear before the meeting.

The Israeli Prime Minister on Friday approved the controversial ground offensive in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip. According to estimates, 1.5 million Palestinians are currently seeking shelter from the fighting in other areas of the Gaza Strip, in very small spaces and in appalling conditions. Aid organizations warn of many more civilian deaths.

Scholz warns of large numbers of victims

It must not get to the point where “many who fled to Rafah in Gaza are now in immediate danger” from military action, Scholz warned. “That’s why I, like the American president, have made it very clear that we think this is something where we have to do everything very, very, very carefully to avoid any further large numbers of casualties.”

In view of a planned resumption of indirect negotiations on a provisional ceasefire, Scholz said: “It is very clear to me that it is now also a matter of concretizing the possibility, which is clearly evident from the existing talks, of a ceasefire that lasts. get longer.”

According to local media reports, Israel’s war cabinet wanted to meet Netanyahu on Sunday to decide whether to send a delegation to Qatar. There, recently stalled talks on a ceasefire in the capital Doha will continue after the Islamist Hamas presented a new proposal to mediators.

Germany participates in the airlift to Gaza

While Scholz met the Jordanian king in Aqaba, the air force prepared further relief flights almost 400 kilometers away to the “King Abdullah Airbase” near the capital Amman. Germany is thus participating in the Jordanian initiative for an air bridge to the Gaza Strip. After the first delivery of four tons of food – including rice and flour – was dropped from a transport plane over northern Palestinian territory on Saturday, the second aid flight took place on Sunday. Several other countries also operated transport aircraft.

Protests again in Israel against Netanyahu’s government

A day before the chancellor’s visit, thousands of people demonstrated in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities for the release of hostages held by Hamas and against Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government. In some places, people lit small fires, set off smoke bombs and called for the release of the hostages. Police used water cannons to disperse individual gatherings. Relatives of the hostages called for a new deal for their release and called on the government to act quickly. ‘You don’t have time anymore, we don’t have time anymore. Do something now, we need you!” said a family member at a meeting. (sda/dpa)