Most are dual nationals
Baerbock: Eight Germans in the hands of Hamas
October 14, 2023, 5:09 p.m
According to the federal government, eight Germans are among the kidnapped hostages held by Hamas. According to Foreign Minister Baerbock, their release is a “command of humanity”. She assures us that everything will be done to ensure that these innocent people are released.
After crisis talks in Egypt, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urgently appealed to the Islamist Hamas to release all hostages kidnapped from Israel. The federal government is aware of eight cases of German nationals among those abducted, most of them dual nationals, said the Green politician after a meeting with her Egyptian colleague Samih Schukri in the capital Cairo.
All channels are being used “to obtain information about whose hands the hostages are and to do everything possible to ensure that these innocent people are released,” added the Federal Foreign Minister. During her visit to Israel on Friday, she spoke intensively about this with her relatives, said Baerbock. The situation of the hostages was also the focus of their discussions in Egypt.
The Federal Foreign Minister also met with the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and the Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, in Cairo. Details from the discussions were not initially known. In the afternoon Baerbock flew back to Berlin.
The release of the hostages “is a requirement of humanity,” said Baerbock. She agreed on this with her conversation partners. She assured: “We will make every effort together to be able to release the German hostages, but there are many other nationalities.” The federal government is also working intensively with Egypt and Israel to find solutions for the early departure of German citizens from Gaza to Egypt via the Rafah border crossing. The logistical conditions for this have been created. However, security is necessary for the border crossing to be opened.
The minister appealed to Israel to take the humanitarian situation into account in the fight against Hamas. Hamas is responsible for the desperate situation of the people in Gaza. “Terror is the fundamental evil. It must be fought, otherwise there will be no peace and no security.” On the other hand, new great suffering among the civilian population in Gaza will “not only create the breeding ground for new terrorism, but also endanger any steps towards rapprochement with the Arab neighbors that have been achieved so far in recent months.”
This terrorist calculation must not work. “Therefore, the fight against Hamas must be carried out with the greatest possible consideration for the humanitarian situation, for innocent women, children and men,” demanded Baerbock. “In this sense, I appeal to everyone, whether here or in the Arab world, to distinguish between terrorists and the civilian population. The fight is against Hamas and not against the Palestinians.”