Germany calls for urgent improvement of Gaza's humanitarian situation

BERLIN

Germany's deputy foreign minister on Sunday warned about Gaza's deteriorating humanitarian crisis, calling for an immediate ceasefire and diplomatic solution to end the ongoing conflict.

"The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains unbearable," Florian Hahn said in a statement, ahead of his meeting with counterparts in Madrid to discuss the latest developments.

Hahn emphasized that ending the war in Gaza and creating a path for diplomatic efforts toward a political solution is currently one of German foreign policy's main priorities.

"This means that the hostages must finally be released, the humanitarian situation of people in Gaza must be urgently improved, Hamas must no longer pose any threat, and there must be progress toward the two-state solution to finally resolve the Middle East conflict," he said.

At the conference in Madrid, Hahn said he will emphasize Germany's approach and concrete contributions to implementing the two-state solution.

"This includes, alongside our unwavering commitment to Israel's security, our support for building state structures in Palestinian territories; our clear stance against settlement construction, settler violence, and annexation efforts in the West Bank; and support for the reform and strengthening of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah," he explained.

The Madrid meeting will serve as preparation for a high-level UN conference on the two-state solution, which France and Saudi Arabia will host in New York this June. The Madrid Group, formed in 2024, was established to advance the two-state solution in response to concerns about the situation in Gaza and escalating violence in the Middle East.

Following his talks in Spain, Hahn will travel to Israel to attend an international conference on Combating Antisemitism from May 26–28, according to a German Foreign Ministry statement.