Germany says Gaza in ‘catastrophic’ state, urges return to ceasefire

BERLIN

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Monday called for an urgent return to ceasefire as nearly 2 million Palestinians in Gaza face dire shortages of food, water, and medical supplies.

Speaking to reporters before an EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg — where Middle East developments top the agenda — Baerbock described the situation in Gaza as “once again catastrophic.”

“Words cannot describe the humanitarian suffering of the people in Gaza. We urgently need to return to a ceasefire, so that all hostages can finally be released and so that two million Palestinians, who yearn to finally be able to live in dignity, can move forward together,“ she said.

Baerbock also added that EU foreign ministers would meet Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa later Monday to discuss EU-Palestinian Authority relations and the Gaza conflict. She emphasized that the Palestinian Authority should take responsibility for Gaza after the war.

“Today's meeting with the Palestinian Authority is absolutely vital, also from a European perspective, to make it clear that people can only live in dignity and freedom in the Middle East — particularly Israelis and Palestinians — if security is guaranteed for both sides, and that means a Gaza without Hamas structures,” Baerbock said.

The Israeli army resumed attacks on Gaza on March 18, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January. The overall death toll in the blockaded enclave is nearly 51,000 since October 2023.