German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has warned that Israel’s conduct in Gaza “can no longer be justified” as a fight against Hamas, marking the strongest public criticism to date from a German leader since the start of the war.
Speaking in Berlin on Monday, Merz said: “To harm the civilian population in such a way as has increasingly been the case in recent days can no longer be justified by a fight against Hamas terrorism.”
He added: “Frankly, I can no longer understand the goal of what the Israeli army is doing in the Gaza Strip,” confirming he would speak directly with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week.
The comments represent a significant shift in tone from Berlin, long considered one of Israel’s staunchest allies in Europe. They come amid mounting international pressure over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where local authorities say more than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed since the 7 October Hamas massacre that left 1,200 Israelis dead and 250 taken hostage.
Berlin, Germany. 8th Oct, 2023. In a poignant display of solidarity and remembrance, hundreds of Israelis gathered on October 8, 2023, at Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate to commemorate the victims of the recent attacks launched by Hamas from Gaza.
“Germany has a clear position: no expulsions of the Palestinian population from the Gaza Strip, an end to hunger. And the Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank belong to the Palestinians on the path to a two-state solution,” Merz said.
His foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, echoed the chancellor’s concerns during a press conference in Madrid with Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares. “Nobody is saying that the current situation is acceptable and can be tolerated any longer. Not even Germany,” Wadephul said. He rejected a Spanish call for an arms embargo on Israel but called for urgent negotiations. “There must be no expulsion from the Gaza Strip. There must also be no policy of starvation,” he added.
Germany’s federal commissioner for Jewish life and antisemitism, Felix Klein, also warned that Berlin must more clearly define its support for Israel in light of the ongoing war.
In an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Klein said Germany’s long-standing “reason of state” policy – which holds Israel’s security as integral to its national interest – remained essential. But, he added, “We must also make it clear that this does not justify everything.”
“Starving Palestinians and deliberately worsening the humanitarian situation have nothing to do with securing Israel’s right to exist,” he said. “The proportionality of this action may well be called into question.”
Several German MPs from the ruling Social Democratic Party have since called for a suspension of arms exports to Israel. Foreign affairs spokesperson Adis Ahmetovic told Stern Magazine: “German weapons must not be used to spread humanitarian disasters and to violate international law.”
While Germany did not join the UK, France and Canada in last week’s joint warning to Netanyahu’s government over aid restrictions and military escalation, the comments from Merz, Wadephul and Klein indicate growing discomfort within Berlin’s political establishment.
Despite this, Merz has previously insisted that Israel’s security remains fundamental to Germany’s identity. He also suggested he would support Netanyahu visiting Berlin, even amid an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
The developments come as European divisions over the Gaza war deepen, with Germany’s historically close ties to Israel now under new strain.
