BERLIN: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due to travel to Jordan and Israel over the weekend to lobby for more aid to be delivered to the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, his spokesman said today.
"Humanitarian efforts must be significantly improved... that is what (Scholz) will make clear in his talks in Israel," the chancellor's spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said at a regular press conference.
The German leader will also reiterate his warning against a ground offensive in Rafah, said the spokesman.
Scholz is due to hold discussions with Jordan's King Abdullah II tomorrow and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog on Sunday.
The chancellor's visit to Israel is his second since Hamas triggered the conflict in Gaza when it launched a cross-border attack on Oct 7.
Efforts to get food and other aid into the Palestinian territory have grown, including by air and sea, but fighting rages on after mediators failed to reach a truce for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Earlier in the week Germany said it would join an operation initiated by Jordan to airdrop aid into the Gaza Strip. Berlin has also said it will also support efforts to deliver much-needed aid by sea.
"What comes via the air bridge or the sea bridge is at best the second best solution," Hebestreit said, urging more aid deliveries over land.
"We stand close by Israel's side, but we also clearly demand that all commitments under international law are met," Hebestreit said.
Hebestreit reiterated a call for Hamas to release the remaining hostages in their captivity.
"That would also pave the way for a ceasefire that can then be used for further talks," Hebestreit said.
Gaza has faced relentless bombardment by Israel since Hamas's Oct 7 attack that resulted in about 1,160 deaths, most of them civilians, according to a tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel's retaliatory bombardment and ground offensive has killed 31,341 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry. — AFP
