By Manal Abdel Fattah
The German government’s special envoy for humanitarian aid in the Near and Middle East, Deike Potzel, said that Germany greatly appreciates the role played by Egypt in humanitarian support for the Palestinians in Gaza and the treatment of injured Palestinians there. Thanks to the tremendous efforts made by Egypt, the Rafah crossing was opened, which led to the arrival of… Many planes carrying aid shipments from countries around the world.
She continued, during her presence in Cairo, that in addition, close coordination with Egypt is very important, as 25% of the aid provided by European Union countries to the Gaza Strip is through Egypt.
She pointed out that in addition to providing aid to Gaza via Egypt, Germany provided equipment to Egypt to assist it in its current efforts within the framework of coordinating and delivering humanitarian aid. Germany also provided incubators and medical equipment to treat Palestinian patients in Egypt.
Butzel 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.
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.
