The Green Party is accusing the German government of failing to take sufficient action to alleviate the suffering of civilians in the Gaza Strip.
While acknowledging the dire situation – with the government itself citing 470,000 people facing acute hunger – critics argue that this recognition has not translated into meaningful action. The criticism stems from the government’s response to inquiries from the Green Party parliamentary group concerning the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as reported by “Der Spiegel”. In the written response, the government describes the situation as “unbearable.
A key focus of the criticism centers on the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private organization distributing food to civilians in Gaza on behalf of the Israeli government since late May. According to the government’s written assessment, the current distribution mechanism implemented by the GHF “obviously does not adequately reach the civilian population and also does not operate in accordance with humanitarian principles.
The government has welcomed an agreement between the Israeli government and the EU from July 10th, which allows other humanitarian organizations to resume operations. However, it cautions that “the agreement must now be implemented quickly and visibly.
The written response urges the Israeli government to “immediately enable the full resumption of aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip and allow the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to carry out their work independently and impartially.
Boris Mijatovic, Green Party expert on human rights, stated to “Der Spiegel” that while the government acknowledges the GHF’s shortcomings, it remains a passive observer. He further criticized the reported shift in the stance of Foreign Minister Wadephul, alleging a retraction of initial criticisms of Israel’s conduct of the conflict in Gaza. Mijatovic described this as a “fatal signal” and noted the disturbing figure of over 800 civilian deaths near GHF distribution centers has not spurred political action from Chancellor Merz to address the escalating humanitarian crisis.