FRANKFURT: Israel must “immediately” improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza, the German government’s representative for human rights and humanitarian aid said Monday, ahead of a trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Until recently Israel has enjoyed broad support across the political spectrum in Germany, but Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s tone toward Israel has sharpened as the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated.
Last month, the United Nations officially declared a famine in Gaza, after a UN-backed report warned that 500,000 people were facing “catastrophic” conditions in the war-ravaged territory.
“The Israeli government must improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza immediately, comprehensively, sustainably, and in accordance with humanitarian principles and international law,” said envoy Lars Castellucci, a lawmaker of the Social Democrats, which govern with Merz’s conservatives.
He condemned the “immeasurable” suffering of civilians, especially children, who are trapped in the conflict and “bear neither guilt nor responsibility.”
German humanitarian aid to Gaza “has been increased several times,” but it is “pointless” as long as it does not reach those in need, he said.
While he reaffirmed Germany’s “special responsibility” for Israel’s security and called for the “immediate release” of hostages held by Hamas, he also stressed the urgency of a ceasefire and advocated a “two state solution.”
The war in Gaza erupted following Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Of the 251 hostages seized during the attack, 47 are still being held in Gaza, around 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 63,459 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.
Berlin urges Israel to ‘immediately’ improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza
https://arab.news/z39vs
Berlin urges Israel to ‘immediately’ improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza
- Last month, the United Nations officially declared a famine in Gaza, after a UN-backed report warned that 500,000 people were facing “catastrophic” conditions in the war ravaged territory
Soleimani warned Al-Assad about ‘spy’ Luna Al-Shibl: Al-Majalla
LONDON: The late Iranian General Qassem Soleimani confronted Syria’s National Security Bureau chief Ali Mamlouk in late 2019 after seeing Luna Al-Shibl leaving his office. Al-Majalla magazine claims its reporters reviewed a document containing the full Arabic transcript of their exchange.
Soleimani reportedly asked, “Who is this?” and Mamlouk replied, “She is Louna Al-Shibl, the president’s adviser.”
The Quds Force commander pressed further: “I know, I know… but who is she really? Where did she work?”
According to Al-Majalla, a sister publication of Arab News, he said her former salary was “ten thousand dollars,” compared with her current salary of “five hundred thousand Syrian pounds,” before asking: “Does it make sense for someone to leave ten thousand dollars for five hundred thousand pounds? She is a spy.”
Both Soleimani and Maher Al-Assad, commander of the Syrian army’s powerful Fourth Division, had warned the ousted president’s inner circle about Al-Shibl, Al-Majalla reported.
‘Suspicious’ car crash
On July 2, 2024, Al-Shibl was involved in what officials described as a traffic accident on the Damascus-Dimas highway. She was hospitalized and died four days later.
But Al-Majalla reported that photos of her armored BMW showed only minor damage, raising immediate questions among those close to the case.
Eyewitnesses told the magazine that the crash was intentional. One said, “a car approached and rammed her vehicle,” and before her bodyguard could exit, “a man attacked her and struck her on the back of the head,” causing paralysis that led to her death.
She was first taken to Al-Saboura clinic, then transferred to Al-Shami Hospital. Several senior regime-linked figures, including businessman Mohammed Hamsho and an aide to Maher Al-Assad, were present when her condition deteriorated. One witness told Al-Majalla that when her bodyguard tried to explain what had happened, “he was arrested immediately in front of the others.”
The presidency later issued a brief statement announcing her death. Her funeral was attended only by a handful of officials. Then president Al-Assad did not attend.
