Anadolu staff
12 October 2023•Update: 12 October 2023
BERLIN
Israel has asked Germany to provide ammunition for its warships, and talks are ongoing on this matter, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Pistorius said Germany stands in solidarity with Israel and is ready to provide support to Tel Aviv in its fight against Hamas.
“We have received the first inquiries, including ammunition for the warships. Now we will talk about the details of this request with the Israelis,” he said.
Pistorius confirmed that the Israeli side also asked for the use of two Heron drones, which were earlier rented by Germany and currently are being used to train German soldiers in Israel.
“We accepted this request yesterday evening,” the minister said, adding that Germany will also send medical aid material to Israel.
According to local media reports, around 16 German military personnel who were in Israel for training on Israeli-made drones will be returning to Germany following the escalation of the war with Hamas.
“The Israelis are waging a fight to defend their existence there,” the German defense minister said.
“We stand by Israel, and hope that there will be no further escalation,” he added.
The conflict began on Saturday when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel, a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea, and air.
Hamas said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.
In response to Hamas' actions, the Israeli military launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip. Israel's response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has reeled under a crippling siege since 2007.
