Israel’s attack on Jabalia
Germany insists on proportionality in the fight against Hamas
November 1, 2023, 4:33 p.m
The federal government expresses its trust in Israel when it comes to compliance with international humanitarian law, says government spokesman Hebestreit. After the attack on Jabalia in the Gaza Strip, he emphasized that “proportionality is always necessary” when it comes to strikes against Hamas.
After the Israeli attack on targets in the Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, the Federal Government emphasized Israel’s right to self-defense and at the same time the importance of the proportionality of the measures. “In the legitimate defense of Israel against the terrorist organization Hamas and against its continued attacks, to which Israel is entitled under international law, the protection of the civilian population must also be a priority,” said a spokesman for the Foreign Office in Berlin. It is “essential that the fight against Hamas is carried out with the necessary proportionality,” the spokesman continued.
Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit spoke of a very challenging situation. Hamas is continuing its attacks and is still unwilling to release the kidnapped hostages. The Hamas attackers used Gaza’s own civilian population as human shields. Hebestreit said: “Of course, proportionality is always necessary.” During its talks with Israel, the Federal Government expressed its conviction that Israel, as the only democracy in the region, “naturally adheres to all the conditions that international humanitarian law puts forward.”
According to the Israeli military, around 50 terrorists were killed in the air strike on Jabalia, including a Hamas commander who was involved in the Hamas massacres in the Israeli border area on October 7th. According to the UN, Jabalia is the largest refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, which is sealed off by Israel. In view of the possible opening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, the Foreign Office spokesman said that a team from the German embassy in Egypt was preparing to look after Germans who might be leaving. There is still a low three-digit number of German citizens in the Gaza Strip.