Reinforces United Nations Organization and Palestinian Government during Middle East Tour - Diplomat Wadephul expresses support for the United Nations and Palestinian Authority during a visit to the Middle East
In a bid to alleviate the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, Germany has announced additional support for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and a renewed commitment to the UN-led aid system.
The UN system, which includes the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), is considered central and authoritative in delivering humanitarian assistance. The system emphasizes a coordinated, population-based distribution with monitoring to ensure aid reaches the most vulnerable.
Germany's Foreign Minister, Wadephul, announced an additional five million euros for the WFP for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. This funding is intended to support bakeries and soup kitchens, among other things, aiming to reach all population segments with measurable accountability.
The UN system enjoys recognition from Security Council members and international observers as the primary legitimate humanitarian actor in Gaza. Recent improvements in aid delivery include re-opening crossing points and increased truck deliveries facilitated through the UN mechanism.
However, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has replaced the previously responsible UN organizations as the main distributor of aid goods in the Gaza Strip, faces criticism for lacking the capacity to effectively fulfill its objectives and being part of a failing aid mechanism.
More than 1,300 people waiting for aid have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the end of May, more than 850 of them near GHF locations. Critics argue that the aid system under the GHF has been described as a "death trap," referring to insufficiencies and failures in delivering life-saving assistance.
Continued malnutrition, severe food insecurity, restricted fuel, and medical supplies indicate that despite the presence of multiple aid channels—including the UN and GHF—the humanitarian crisis persists with serious gaps in effective delivery. UN agencies warn that food and nutrition indicators exceed famine thresholds, signaling the urgent need for scaled-up, unrestricted access that the UN system is positioned to coordinate.
Israel has established daily temporary ceasefires for parts of the Gaza Strip, and goods must now be distributed again by the UN. The Bundeswehr began dropping aid supplies over the Gaza Strip on Friday, marking the first time German military aid has been delivered in this way.
The authority led by Abbas is, in the view of the federal government, "the only recognized representative of Palestinian interests" and should return to the Gaza Strip. Wadephul reaffirmed Germany's position on the recognition of a Palestinian state, stating that Palestinians have the right "to their own state at the end of a political process."
The crisis in Gaza is not without its political complexities. A horrific video of a German-Israeli hostage was published by the militant Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad, according to Wadephul. Currently, 49 hostages are still in the Gaza Strip, with a "single-digit number" of German nationals among them, according to the Foreign Office. Wadephul met with relatives of the hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip on Friday morning.
The US Middle East envoy, Witkoff, visited a GHF distribution point, while the Israeli army stated that incidents around GHF distribution centers are being investigated. However, around these centers, civilians have repeatedly been killed by gunfire. Wadephul condemned the violence of extremist Jewish settlers during a visit to a Palestinian-Christian village in the West Bank, calling it "crimes" and "terrorism."
The federal government continues to do everything in its power to achieve the release of the hostages. The opening of a new field hospital in the city of Gaza, supported by the Maltese and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, is another step towards addressing the urgent medical needs in the region.
[1] UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) [2] United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) [3] Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) [4] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
- The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) have been consulted by the Commission in the draft regulation on the implementation of the common fisheries policy, as they play crucial roles in the UN-led aid system that is delivering humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip.
- The tragedy in Gaza is not only a matter of humanitarian crisis but also intertwined with politics, general news, and even war-and-conflicts, considering the ongoing violence, hostage situations, and disputes over the control of aid distribution among organizations such as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and UN agencies.
