Germany horrified as babies freeze to death in Gaza amid Israeli blockade
Small children and babies are in such a difficult situation, they hungry, thirsty and cold, 'it is shocking,’ foreign ministry says
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BERLIN
Germany on Monday expressed “shock” over the death of six babies who froze to death in Gaza amid Israel’s ongoing inhuman blockade of humanitarian aid into the northern part of the enclave.
When it comes to news reports about “the dramatic situation of small children and babies, these are of course shocking reports,” deputy Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer told the press in Berlin.
Given the circumstances “that small children and babies are in such a difficult situation, that not enough humanitarian aid reaches them, that they are hungry, thirsty and cold is shocking,” she added.
Deschauer “called on Israeli authorities to ensure humanitarian (aid) access” to the population in Gaza.
“The Federal Government is calling, and has been doing so for a long time, including with such dramatic appeals, for Israel to adhere to the requirements of international law,” she said.
At least six babies have so far died due to severe cold and a lack of heating in refugee tents in the central Gaza Strip, the Health Ministry said.
The Israeli army has continued a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 45,500 people, mostly women and children, since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7 last year despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
Tel Aviv has imposed a stifling blockade on Gaza, leaving the territory’s 2.3 million population on the verge of famine.
Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.
