By Manal Abdel Fattah
The German government’s special envoy for humanitarian aid in the Near and Middle East, Deike Potzel, said on her fifth visit to Egypt that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is worrying, as the extent of the destruction that befell the Gaza Strip is enormous, and this is an important issue in the future, and the international community must deal with it quickly.
She added, during her presence in Cairo: Germany has intensified its humanitarian aid to Gaza during the past two months, and we have called for the return of the displaced Palestinians to the north because they have now become very crowded in the south, and now we are pressing for the arrival of more humanitarian aid, and for improving the capacity of the facilities so that it can be brought in. More aid indeed, and some progress has been made over the past month.
The German envoy indicated that, nevertheless, work must be done to resolve the Palestinian and Israeli states, and Germany seeks to move and take concrete steps regarding settling the situation in the region.
Regarding her visit, Potzel said: This is my fifth visit to the region since the outbreak of the current crisis, and since my arrival in Egypt, I have met with a number of ministers, led by Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, and Social Solidarity Minister Nevin Al-Qabbaj.
She added: We discussed our ways of continuous coordination with Egypt, as it plays a very important role in the region and during the current crisis, and my discussions were very good. I discussed what we currently provide, and what we can provide in the future, and presented to the Egyptian government a list of needs regarding support efforts. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where they will be considered.
She continued: We had very productive, very open and very frank talks with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health and the Egyptian Red Crescent, and we explained our position and what we offer, and we set a vision for the next stage with Egypt, and this is very useful.
Potzel confirmed that while the German government sees the suffering of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Germany has increased its humanitarian aid, most recently on January 9, when it provided additional support of 8 million euros.
She added that with this support, the total aid provided to the Palestinian territories by the German government has risen to 211 million euros, including 138 million euros in additional funding since October 7, and Germany has become the largest contributor to UNRWA during the past five years.
She pointed out that the German Foreign Ministry is working with the United Nations and experienced international organizations to deliver the necessary aid to the residents of Gaza. Through the humanitarian aid approved by Germany, organizations can deliver basic foodstuffs, medical care and hygiene products to Gaza.
She stressed that the international community is very aware of what is happening in the Gaza Strip, and many countries have provided humanitarian support, whether from the region or outside it, and we appreciate everyone who contributed to those efforts.
She added: But the situation is dangerous and requires greater effort to provide safe corridors for humanitarian aid to enter, as well as safe corridors for it to be delivered to civilians inside the Gaza Strip, which takes a very long time.
