As Israel and Hamas edged closer to ending hostilities, German chancellor Friedrich Merz wants to organise, with Egypt, an international conference for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Merz said in a statement on Friday, October 10th, that the main goal of this conference
should be to address the most urgent needs, such as rebuilding water and energy supplies, and restoring medical care.
A spokeswoman for the German Development Ministry said that Berlin could quickly provide 850 temporary accommodation units for Gaza.
Fifty of them are in Ramallah and can quickly be brought to Gaza so that people can be provided with urgently needed shelter.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the government had “approved the framework” of a hostage release deal with Hamas.
Merz declared that
the deal must be implemented swiftly and the hostages, including German nationals, should finally be able to return to their families. Humanitarian aid must quickly reach the people in Gaza.
In Israel, there is widespread concern about the potential for some of the Palestinians being released in the deal resuming terror activities.
