The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said over 100 people were killed after Israeli troops opened fire as crowds of Palestinians pulled flour and canned goods from an aid convoy near Gaza City. Follow ONN for more.
Germany to increase Gaza aid by €20 million
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Thursday announced that Germany would pledge another €20 million ($21.6 million) in humanitarian aidto Gaza, admitting the amount "is not nearly enough" to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave.
"People risk their lives fighting over food parcels dropped from the air because not enough trucks are coming into Gaza," Baerbock said in a statement. "Children collect weeds to give their siblings something to eat. Babies are dying of dehydration and malnutrition in barely functioning hospitals."
Berlin provided a total of €206.5 million to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in the last financial year, of which €83 million had benefitted people in Gaza, according to the Foreign Ministry. UNRWA is also active in the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
Germany was among the 16 countries that said they were temporarily halting payments to UNRWA following Israeli allegations that 12 of the agency's employees participated in the October 7 terror attacks on Israel.
Baerbock also said the Israeli government and military must ensure that humanitarian aid can reach people in the Gaza Strip.
Calling the dwindling numbers of aid trucks Israeli authorities allowed into the region "unacceptable," Baerbock said Germany would join Jordan in airdropping aid to Gaza residents.
Baerbock's statement reiterated the call for a humanitarian cease-fire, which she claimed would facilitate the release of hostages kidnapped by Hamas militants during the group's October 7 terror attacks on Israel.
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