German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has ordered the Bundeswehr to take part in the airlift to the Gaza Strip. The military had previously confirmed corresponding preparations, according to which German Bundeswehr C130 transport aircraft stationed in France might be used.
“The truth is: the drop is not without danger. The crews intended for this purpose are trained in the relevant procedures and are very experienced,” said Pistorius. The airlift was initiated by Jordan, but other partners such as the USA and France are also taking part in the initiative. The operation might therefore begin at the end of the week. The people in Gaza lack basic necessities. “We want to do our part to ensure they have access to food and medicine,” said Pistorius.
Help by sea
The population in the Gaza Strip is now also being helped by sea. On Tuesday, the ship “Open Arms” belonging to the aid organization of the same name set sail from the Cypriot port of Larnaca towards the Gaza Strip. The converted tug pulls a platform onto which relief supplies have been loaded – around 200 tons of drinking water, medicine and food. The journey might take up to 60 hours as the ship moves slowly.
However, according to a United Nations spokesman, sea transport of aid to the Gaza Strip does not make up for the lack of urgently needed truck deliveries. Access is also needed by land, and safe and regular distribution in the Gaza Strip must be guaranteed, it said. The United Nations recently pushed for aid deliveries to be expanded by truck and for goods to also be transported via border crossings to the particularly affected north of the Palestinian territory.
On Tuesday evening it was announced that an aid convoy with food had reached the north of the Gaza Strip via a new Israeli military road. The military said it was a pilot project to prevent the aid supplies from falling into the hands of the Islamist Hamas. The results would now be presented to the government.
EU financial aid to Egypt
The European Union is in the process of providing financial aid for Egypt. The Financial Times reported this yesterday. The package should therefore amount to 7.4 billion euros. The aim of the EU is to stabilize the Egyptian economy. There are fears that the Gaza war and the civil war in neighboring Sudan might send Egypt’s financial system into a tailspin, the newspaper said. As the “Financial Times” further reported, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants to travel to Cairo on Sunday. The heads of government of Greece, Italy and Belgium will accompany them.
Hamas member killed in Lebanon
According to the Israeli army, a member of the militant Palestinian organization Hamas was killed in an air strike yesterday near the Lebanese coastal city of Tyre. According to the army, the man is said to have been responsible for terrorist attacks once morest Israeli and Jewish targets in several countries. The Islamist organization confirmed the death.
Accordingly, it was a Palestinian from a refugee camp near the port city. According to the Lebanese state news agency NNA, another man was killed in the attack. It is said to be a Syrian who happened to be at the site of the air strike.
The attack near Tire is fueling fears of a further escalation in clashes between the Israeli military and militants in Lebanon because it reportedly took place near residential areas. The Lebanese government announced that it would lodge a complaint with the UN Security Council. She accused Israel of endangering civilians in its attacks in recent days.
