German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Thursday that the "painful experiences in the West Bank have shown that endless occupation cannot bring peace," and Palestinians must be able to shape their future.
Baerbock noted in a statement that the situation for 2 million in the Gaza Strip remains extremely grim.
"Large areas are a barren wasteland of rubble. Hundreds of thousands of families have been displaced multiple times, living in daily fear of losing their last belongings in the second winter of war," said Baerbock.
She emphasized the need for a cease-fire to end suffering and death, allowing for work on a political solution.
"The painful experience in the West Bank has shown that endless occupation cannot bring peace. Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank must be able to shape their future in their own state," she said. "Only then will we be able to contain terrorism and allow Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace, security, dignity, and self-determination."
"We see children of elementary school age, amputated at several limbs, whose entire families were killed. Tens of thousands of girls and boys, whose eyes are marked by malnutrition, will be mentally and physically scarred for decades," she added.
Highlighting humanitarian access is an international obligation that every party to the conflict must fulfill, Baerbock stressed that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is no longer sustainable and military operations have caused far too many civilian deaths.
"The most urgent thing the people in Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank need right now is a ceasefire and the release of hostages, including still many Germans," she added.
