
By Manal El Warraky
The German Special Envoy for Humanitarian Issues in the Middle East, Dieke Potzel, recently visited Egypt as part of her latest regional tour to monitor and organize the entry of German humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing.
The German envoy’s visit came as part of a tour that included Gaza’s neighboring countries, such as Egypt, Jordan, Ramallah, and Israel, in addition to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to search for possible ways of cooperation as well as to improve the situation, which is part of her diplomatic missions.
The German envoy praised the great efforts made by Egypt regarding the Gaza file, referring to the fruitful meetings she held with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, and the Egyptian Red Crescent.
During her meeting in Cairo, the German special envoy for humanitarian issues in the Middle East said that Germany did not abandon the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), but rather decided to temporarily stop support until the results of the investigations were considered.
And to the text of the dialogue…
Can you provide an overview of the current humanitarian aid provided by Germany to the people of Gaza?
While the German government sees the suffering of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Germany increased its humanitarian aid, most recently on January 9, when it provided additional support of 8 million euros.
This support brings the total aid provided to the Palestinian territories by the German government 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.
The German Foreign Ministry also works 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.
What about the conditions inside the Gaza Strip? What are Germany’s initiatives regarding it?
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is catastrophic, and in order to alleviate the suffering, Germany is once again working to increase its humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people. Although much larger amounts of aid supplies crossed the border during the days of the humanitarian truce, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains bad.
Basic supplies and services for the civilian population have collapsed, and hundreds of thousands of people there, including many children, lack basics such as food, water and medical care. It is therefore important that humanitarian aid is distributed to the civilian population in Gaza quickly and without any obstacles. It has been This is one of the topics of the four visits made by the German Foreign Minister to the region since October 7.
Foreign Minister Baerbock announced that Germany will increase its humanitarian aid to the people in the Palestinian territories, as the German government is aware of the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza, and has repeatedly increased its humanitarian aid, while the German Foreign Ministry is working with the United Nations and experienced international relief organizations in order to deliver the aid that The people of Gaza urgently need it.
How do you evaluate the international response to support the severely affected Palestinians in the Gaza Strip?
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.
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.
Why did Germany, along with other countries, rush to stop funding UNRWA even though it is very important to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip?
We are aware of the important role of UNRWA for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and we appreciate its vital role in providing aid to cover the basic needs of the Palestinian population. Therefore, Germany provided UNRWA in the last year with support worth 206 million euros, including 83 million euros for Gaza alone.
Since October 7, we have provided humanitarian aid through UNRWA to finance vital necessities such as water, food, shelter, hygiene and sanitation facilities, in addition to medical supplies to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and we were very saddened by the targeting of 150 of its employees during their work in Gaza.
However, Germany has decided to suspend current and future funding for UNRWA, until investigations are completed in light of the accusations against its employees, and the results are released. However, there are in no way new funding decisions from Germany during the coming period.
Will Germany back down from the decision to stop supporting UNRWA in Gaza? Will Germany fund UNRWA again? What are the conditions?
Germany has not yet drawn up a plan for any external financial aid for this year because the budget has not yet been decided, with regard to the Middle East region. However, one of our priorities will be to support the activity of United Nations agencies.
Therefore, we will wait for the results of the investigations of UNRWA and the Secretary-General of the United Nations regarding the accusations that were recently raised. However, I stress that we have not abandoned UNRWA, but we will consider providing additional support to UNRWA in light of the results of these investigations.
What are the current organizations receiving aid from Germany other than UNRWA?
Among our partners on the ground are United Nations organizations such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Food Program and UNICEF, as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross, in addition to international and regional partners.
Through Germany’s humanitarian aid, organizations are able to deliver basic foodstuffs, medical care and hygiene products to Gaza.
Can you explain the role of the German Special Envoy for Humanitarian Issues in the Middle East in alleviating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza?
The work of the Special Envoy is an integral part of international efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis facing the civilian population in Gaza.
The Special Envoy acts as a point of contact for United Nations organizations such as the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UNRWA, the World Food Programme, UNICEF, and also the International Committee of the Red Cross, in addition to international and regional partners.
The Special Envoy remains in close contact with those responsible for humanitarian assistance in the region and friendly countries, as his work depends on achieving Germany’s humanitarian commitment and its efforts for peace and stability in the region.
Tell us about the results of your current visit to the region? Is there a tangible improvement on the ground?
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is worrying. The extent of the destruction that has befallen the Gaza Strip is enormous. This is an important issue in the future, and the international community must deal with it quickly.
Germany has intensified its humanitarian aid to Gaza over the past two months, and we have called for the return of displaced Palestinians to the north because they are now too crowded in the south. Now we are pressing for more humanitarian aid to arrive, and for improving the capacity of the facilities so that more aid can actually enter, and this has been done. Some progress has been made over the past month.
However, the solution of the Palestinian and Israeli states must be worked on, and Germany seeks to move and take concrete steps regarding settling the situation in the region.
What about the results of your current visit to Egypt?
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.
We discussed our ways of continuing 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 efforts to support the Palestinians in Gaza Strip, where it will be considered.
We had very productive, very open and very frank discussions 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.
What about the joint coordination between the German government and Egypt to support Gaza?
We greatly appreciate the role that Egypt plays in supporting the Palestinians humanitarianly in Gaza and treating the 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.
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.
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.