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Germany’s Scholz tells Netanyahu of ‘urgent need’ to ease Gaza humanitarian crisis

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday there was an "urgent need" to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Israeli forces have vowed to destroy Hamas.

Published: 19 November 2023 10:54 CET
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaking at the Bundestag in Berlin
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaking at the Bundestag in Berlin on November 15, 2023. Scholz underlined the "urgent need" to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza in a call with Israeli PM Netanyahu on Saturday. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)

Scholz “underscored the urgent need to improve the humanitarian situation for residents in the Gaza Strip,” his office said in a statement after a call between the two leaders.

“Humanitarian ceasefires could contribute to a significant improvement in care for the population,” the statement said.

It added that Netanyahu had “given details on Israel’s efforts to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip”.

READ ALSO: Could Germany strip citizenship rights from foreigners over anti-Semitism?

Hamas militants seized 239 hostages on October 7 when they surged across Gaza’s militarised border into southern Israel to kill around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.

In response, Israel’s air strikes and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip that have killed 12,000 people, according to the Palestinian territory’s Hamas government.

Israel has refused to heed international calls for a ceasefire before all hostages are released.

READ ALSO: Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally across Europe

Scholz, who was one of the first western leaders to visit Israel after the October 7 attacks, assured Netanyahu of “Germany’s complete solidarity with the people of Israel” and assured his country’s “unfailing support”.

The comments came after Scholz met in Berlin on Friday with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has slammed Israel’s assault on Gaza as a violation of human rights and called Israel a “terror state”.

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POLITICS

Scholz calls on coalition to ‘pull ourselves together’

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday called on his fractious governing coalition to "pull ourselves together" following a dismal showing in EU parliament elections last week.

Published: 16 June 2024 08:38 CEST
Scholz calls on coalition to 'pull ourselves together'

In power since the end of 2021, the three parties in government — Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the liberal FDP — have been at loggerheads on a wide range of issues including climate measures and budget spending.

“I think that this is one of the entirely justified criticisms of many citizens, namely that there is too much debate” within the coalition, Scholz told German television channel ZDF on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy.

“We need to pull ourselves together and stick together to reach agreements,” he added.

“The people have the right to demand that things change,” Scholz told public broadcaster ARD.

The three parties in the coalition suffered a severe defeat in the European elections, with the SPD achieving its worst result in a national election since 1949.

Subsequently, Scholz has faced mounting criticism within his own party.

On Saturday, however, Scholz told ZDF and ARD that he was “sure” that he would be the SPD’s next candidate for the chancellorship in the parliamentary elections scheduled for autumn 2025.

In the very short term, a new test awaits the coalition, which must reach an agreement on the 2025 budget by the beginning of July.

The FDP’s finance minister is opposed to any exceptions to the rules limiting debt and to any tax increases.

On the other hand, the SPD and the Greens are opposed to cuts in social welfare or climate protection.

The debate is also focused on increasing the resources allocated to the German army.

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