Middle East updates: German air force begins Gaza aid drops – DW – 08/01/2025
German air force transport planes have reportedly dropped 34 pallets with a combined total of 14 tons of food and medical supplies over the besieged Palestinian enclave.
Amid mounting international criticism of its conduct in Gaza, which has resulted in increasing reports of mass starvation, Israel has been allowing aid to enter the territory via land and air since Sunday.
Regional neighbors Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have been leading the airdrops, with Germany also contributing two aircraft operating from a Jordanian base.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) nevertheless cautioned that airdrops only have a limited effect. "Food and medication is lacking in Gaza," he said. "For many people, including for many children, it's about sheer survival."
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU), who is currently visiting the region, also warned that airdrops cannot replace land deliveries when it comes to ensuring that vital aid reaches those who need it most.
"That's why we're calling urgently on the Israeli government to allow secure access [to Gaza] for the United Nations and international aid organizations and to facilitate secure distribution [of aid]," he said.
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US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is set to travel to the Gaza Strip on Friday, where he will observe the humanitarian situation on the ground and inspect aid deliveries alongside the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee.
"The special envoy and the ambassador will brief the president immediately after their visit to approve a final plan for food and aid distribution into the region," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday.
Witkoff's visit to the region comes after President Trump called the situation in Gaza "a terrible thing" in response to remarks from far-right Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene who on Tuesday called Israel's offensive in the Palestinian enclave a "genocide."
"Oh, it's terrible what occurring there," Trump told reporters. "People are very hungry."
Shortly after Witkoff's arrival in Jerusalem on Thursday, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: "The fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!"
Hamas militants took 251 Israelis hostage during their attack on October 7, 2023, and the militant group is still believed to be holding around 50 of them. Only around 20 are still believed to be alive.
Germany will contribute a further €5 million ($5.7m) to the United Nations' World Food Program (WFP) to support the operation of bakeries and soup kitchens in the Gaza Strip.
The announcement was made by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) while visiting UN aid facilities in Jerusalem on Thursday, where he also announced the opening of a new field hospital in Gaza.
The individual, pre-built parts of the field hospital reportedly arrived in Israel in April. The facility is expected to be erected in the north of the Gaza Strip, where it will offer basic healthcare services.
According to the AFP news agency, this is the first German humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territories since the start of the current conflict.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) will visit the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday where he will hold talks with Palestinian leader Mahmous Abbas.
Increasing Israeli settler violence against Palestinians is expected to be high on the agenda in Ramallah, as is a non-binding resolution passed by the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, last week supporting the total annexation of the West Bank by Israel.
After meeting with leading Israeli politicians in Jerusalem on Thursday, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Wadephul warned that "Israel runs the risk of becoming increasingly isolated internationally" over what he called a "humanitarian disaster" in Gaza which is "beyond imagination."
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Hello and welcome to our coverage of developments in the continuing conflict in the Middle East on Friday, August 1.
After warning Israel on Thursday to do more to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip or face increasing international isolation, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will today travel to the occupied West Bank for talks with Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority.
Elsewhere, US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is also in the region and is set to visit Gaza alongside the US ambassor to Israel, Mike Huckabee.
Meanwhile, there are renewed reports of Palestinians being shot and killed by Israeli troops while trying to access food and aid.
And if you missed anything, you can catch up on yesterday's developments here.
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