BERLIN

German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil demanded political pressure be put on Israel on Thursday in light of the slow pace of aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip and military attacks by Tel Viv.

Klingbeil urged the protection of civilians, unhindered humanitarian aid, unimpeded access for aid workers and an end to Israeli expulsion plans that violate international law.

"These are clear demands that we and our EU partners have. We also need stronger political pressure here now," Klingbeil was quoted in Berlin by the German Press Agency (dpa).

The spiral of escalation that began after an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, must finally end. Hamas must release all hostages and Israel must comply with international humanitarian law, he added.

Klingbeil pointed out that Germany has significantly increased humanitarian aid several times.

"We are continuously examining how we can further increase our aid. We call on the Israeli government to do everything possible to fulfill its humanitarian obligations," he said.

Germany criticized Israel on Wednesday for allowing inadequate aid into war-ravaged Gaza, saying deliveries do not meet Palestinians' needs.

“We are in close contact with the Israeli government, and it is quite clear that the aid deliveries so far are far too little, do not meet the needs, and that much more must come in. And above all, the United Nations and the humanitarian organizations there must and should be allowed to work independently,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Christian Wagner told journalists in Berlin.​​​​​​​

Meanwhile, new German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius reiterated his “great concern” about the humanitarian situation.

Despite Israel letting a trickle of aid into Gaza after blocking it for more than two months, as yet, no humanitarian aid has been distributed in the embattled enclave, according to the UN.

"Today, one of our teams waited several hours for the Israeli green light to access the Kareem Shalom area and collect the nutrition supplies. Unfortunately, they were not able to bring those supplies into our warehouse,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters Tuesday.

"So just to make it clear, while more supplies have come into the Gaza Strip, we have not been able to secure the arrival of those supplies into our warehouses and delivery points,"​​​​​​​ he said.

His remarks came after the UN humanitarian affairs office said Tuesday that Israel approved the entry of around 100 trucks carrying aid into Gaza, a significant increase from the nine cleared Monday, but still far less than is needed for the 2.4 population in Gaza, who face near-famine conditions, according to aid groups and international organizations.