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LAST UPDATE | 8 Aug
GERMANY WILL HALT the export of military equipment to Israel which could be used in the Gaza Strip, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, reacting to Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet approved plans for a major escalation in the conflict early today.
The UN’s human rights chief, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Chinese and Turkish governments have condemned Israel’s plan for a military takeover in Gaza.
Germany’s decision to halt arms exports marks a major change of course for the government, which has been one of Israel’s staunchest international allies.
Merz said it was “increasingly difficult to understand” how the Israeli military plan would help achieve the legitimate aims of disarming Hamas and freeing the hostages.
“Under these circumstances, the German government will not authorise any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice,” he said in a statement.
Merz said that “with the planned offensive, the Israeli government bears even greater responsibility” for providing aid to Gaza’s civilians, and reiterated its call for aid access.
Merz also said that “the German government urges the Israeli government not to take any further steps toward annexing the West Bank”.
This morning, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said that “the Israeli Government’s plan for a complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza Strip must be immediately halted”.
Turk said that the plan “runs contrary to the ruling of the International Court of Justice that Israel must bring its occupation to an end as soon as possible, to the realisation of the agreed two-State solution and to the right of Palestinians to self-determination”.
He said Israel should instead allow “the full, unfettered flow of humanitarian aid” and Palestinian armed groups must unconditionally release hostages.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the EU Commission, said the decision by the Israeli government to further extend its military operation in Gaza “must be reconsidered”.
In a statement on X, she said: “At the same time, there must be the release of all hostages, who are being held in inhumane conditions. And humanitarian aid must be given immediate and unhindered access to Gaza to deliver what is urgently needed on the ground.”
European Council President António Costa warned that “such a decision must have consequences” for EU-Israel ties.
“The situation in Gaza remains dramatic, and the decision by the Israeli government will only further worsen it,” he said.
China expressed “serious concerns” over Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City, urging it to “immediately cease its dangerous actions”.
“Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people and is an inseparable part of Palestinian territory,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said.
Turkey called on the international community to prevent Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City, saying it was a “heavy blow” to peace. It said Israel’s decision aimed to “forcibly displace Palestinians from their own land”.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Israel is “wrong” to approve plans to occupy Gaza City and urged it to reconsider the new offensive, warning the prospect of a two-state solution reached through a negotiated peace was “vanishing before our eyes”.
Starmer said Israel should de-escalate, rather than launch the operation.
He said: “The Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately.”
“This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed.”
He added: “Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhuman conditions.
“What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution.”
The UK government has pledged to recognise a Palestinian state by September unless Israel meets a series of conditions towards ending the war in Gaza. If Israel’s Gaza City offensive goes ahead, the prospect of it meeting Starmer’s conditions to prevent the UK recognising Palestinian statehood would likely diminish.
Starmer also urged Hamas to disarm, release its remaining Israeli hostages, and accept it will have no part in the future governance of Gaza.
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Additional reporting from PA
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