German Chancellor Friedrich Merz attends a session at the Bundestag (lower house of parliament) on June 24, 2025, in Berlin, ahead of the upcoming NATO and EU summits. (Credit: John Macdougall/AFP)
France and Germany emphasized on Tuesday the importance of a truce in the Gaza Strip, alongside the cease-fire announced by the United States between Israel and Iran.
“Beyond what is happening with Iran, I reiterate here the necessity of obtaining a cease-fire in Gaza and resuming humanitarian aid to Gaza,” said French President Emmanuel Macron to the press on the sidelines of an official visit to Oslo. “It is absolutely a priority” to restore stability in the region, he stressed.
“The time has come to conclude a cease-fire in Gaza,” stated Chancellor Friedrich Merz to the German deputies in Berlin. He also called on Israel to “treat the people living in the Gaza Strip humanely, especially women, children and the elderly.” Before the Bundestag, Friedrich Merz reaffirmed Germany's support for Israel, which, according to him, “has the right to defend its existence and the security of its citizens.” However, Berlin reserves the right to “critically question Israel's objectives in the Gaza Strip,” he added.
In the face of growing international criticism of Israel's war efforts in the Gaza Strip in response to the unprecedented attack carried out by Hamas on its territory on Oct. 7, 2023, Berlin has also hardened its tone.
Nevertheless, Germany remains, alongside the United States, one of Israel’s most steadfast allies due to its responsibility in the extermination of more than 6 million Jews during the Holocaust. The German government thus opposes a revision of the association agreement between Israel and the EU, as several European countries are demanding that pressure be put on Israel for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. “A suspension or even termination of this agreement is not an option for the federal government," Merz affirmed Tuesday before the deputies.
