The German government has expressed significant concern regarding Israel’s recent decision to cut electricity supplies to Gaza. This statement, issued by the German Federal Foreign Office on Monday, highlights the severity of the situation and the potential humanitarian implications for the region.
Urgent humanitarian concerns
Foreign Office spokesperson Kathrin Deschauer emphasized that such actions are “unacceptable and incompatible with international legal obligations.” She pointed out that electricity is crucial for the operation of the water desalination plant located in Khan Yunis, which serves a vital role in providing clean drinking water to the population of Gaza.
The situation has escalated following Israel’s suspension of electricity supplies to Gaza on Sunday. According to Ahmed Alrobai, the manager of the desalination plant, the facility is currently reliant on generators that are in poor condition and at risk of failing. “If the generators stop working, hundreds of thousands of Gazans will be deprived of clean drinking water, and untreated sewage could be released into the Mediterranean Sea,” he warned.
Calls for compliance with international law
Following a recent mutual cease-fire and a prisoner exchange agreement that had just expired, Israel also halted the movement of goods into Gaza, a territory ravaged by conflict and home to over 2 million Palestinians living under dire conditions. Deschauer reiterated Germany’s deep concern regarding the restrictions and urged Israel to fulfill its responsibilities under international law, ensuring “the full, rapid, safe, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.”
Previously, the International Criminal Court had suggested that Israel might have employed “starvation as a method of warfare,” leading to an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year, an accusation that Israel has firmly rejected.
Furthermore, Deschauer called on Hamas to “finally put an end to the suffering and humiliation of the remaining hostages and their families and release the hostages in accordance with the cease-fire and hostage deal.” In response to the electricity cutoff, Hamas condemned it as “a desperate attempt to pressure our people and their resistance through cheap and unacceptable blackmail tactics.”
Amidst these tensions, Israel has sent a delegation to Doha to resume cease-fire talks mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States. The discussions follow an earlier agreement for a six-week cease-fire reached shortly before Donald Trump’s inauguration as U.S. president. While Israeli officials are advocating for the continuation of the initial phase of the deal, primarily focused on hostage exchanges, Hamas is pressing for negotiations on the subsequent phase, which aims to establish a permanent cease-fire.