Don’t take full control of Gaza Strip, Germany warns Israel

Germany has again warned Israel against taking full control of the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, in remarks by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Berlin on Monday.

Germany rejects “all thoughts that would imply displacement or dispossession of the Palestinian population,” Wadephul said before departing for India.

“Gaza has to be part of a future Palestinian state within the framework of a two-state solution,” he said.

The same applied to the occupied West Bank, where Germany rejects all ideas on the part of Israel for annexation in violation of international law, Wadephul said.

Wadephul also stressed the gravity of the situation in embattled Gaza.

“The humanitarian situation is dire,” he said, adding that fighting had to be brought to an end and the hostages still being held by Hamas need to be released.

Wadephul called on the United States, Arab countries in the region and the European Union to come up with ideas for Gaza’s future after the war.