BERLIN: German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Wednesday expressed “deep concern” after the deadliest night of bombing in Gaza since a US-brokered truce went into effect earlier this month.
Gaza’s civil defense agency said the strikes had killed more than 100 people, including at least 35 children, a toll confirmed by an AFP tally of medical sources at five hospitals in Gaza.
“We appeal to Israel to exercise military restraint in order to prevent further suffering,” Wadephul said in a ministry statement released ahead of a planned trip to the region.
Israel carried out strikes on dozens of Hamas targets overnight to Wednesday following the death of a soldier.
After the strikes, the Israeli military said it had begun “renewed enforcement of the ceasefire,” though explosions could still be seen on an AFP live video feed of the Gaza skyline after the statement was issued.
US President Donald Trump, who helped to broker the nearly three-week-old truce, had earlier said that nothing would be allowed to jeopardize it. But he also endorsed Israel’s right to “hit back” if attacked.
Wadephul also called on Hamas to “fulfil its part of the agreement... to lay down its arms and finally hand over all the remains of the deceased hostages.
“Following the agreement between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire, there is hope for lasting peace, which we must continue to work toward,” he added.
Wadephul will first visit Jordan before heading to Lebanon and Bahrain, according to his ministry.
“During my trip to the Middle East, I intend to discuss with our partners where and how Germany can specifically accompany and support the next steps,” he said.
Germany urges Israel to show ‘restraint’ in Gaza
https://arab.news/jwkqq
Germany urges Israel to show ‘restraint’ in Gaza
- “We appeal to Israel to exercise military restraint in order to prevent further suffering,” Wadephul said
- Wadephul also called on Hamas to “fulfil its part of the agreement”
Family of Palestinian-American shot dead by Israeli settler demand accountability
- Relatives say Abu Siyam was among about 30 residents from the village of Mukhmas who confronted armed settlers attempting to steal goats from the community
LONDON: The family of a 19-year-old Palestinian-American man reportedly shot dead by an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank have demanded accountability, amid mounting scrutiny over a surge in settler violence and a lack of prosecutions.
Nasrallah Abu Siyam, a US citizen born in Philadelphia, was killed near the city of Ramallah on Wednesday, becoming at least the sixth American citizen to die in incidents involving Israeli settlers or soldiers in the territory in the past two years.
Relatives say Abu Siyam was among about 30 residents from the village of Mukhmas who confronted armed settlers attempting to steal goats from the community. Witnesses said that stones were thrown by both sides before settlers opened fire, wounding at least three villagers.
Abu Siyam was struck and later died of his injuries.
Abdulhamid Siyam, the victim’s cousin, said the killing reflected a wider pattern of impunity.
“A young man of 19 shot and killed in cold blood, and no responsibility,” he told the BBC. “Impunity completely.”
The US State Department said that it was aware of the death of a US citizen and was “carefully monitoring the situation,” while the Trump administration said that it stood ready to provide consular assistance.
The Israeli embassy in Washington said the incident was under review and that an operational inquiry “must be completed as soon as possible.”
A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces said troops were deployed to the scene and used “riot dispersal means to restore order,” adding that no IDF gunfire was reported.
The military confirmed that the incident remained under review and said that a continued presence would be maintained in the area to prevent further unrest.
Palestinians and human rights organizations say such reviews rarely lead to criminal accountability, arguing that Israeli authorities routinely fail to prosecute settlers accused of violence.
A US embassy spokesperson later said that Washington “condemns this violence,” as international concern continues to grow over conditions in the occupied West Bank.
Palestinians and human rights groups say Israeli authorities routinely fail to investigate or prosecute settlers accused of violence against civilians.
Those concerns were echoed this week by the UN, which warned that Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank may amount to ethnic cleansing.
A UN human rights office report on Thursday said that Israeli settlement expansion, settler attacks and military operations have increasingly displaced Palestinian communities, with dozens of villages reportedly emptied since the start of the Gaza war.
The report also criticized Israeli military tactics in the northern West Bank, saying that they resembled warfare and led to mass displacement, while noting abuses by Palestinian security forces, including the use of unnecessary lethal force and the intimidation of critics.
Neither Israel’s foreign ministry nor the Palestinian Authority has commented on the findings.
