•Rubble of a damaged building in the northern Israeli town of Tamra, following an overnight missile attack from Iran
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz today said that “the moment has come” for a ceasefire in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Speaking to parliament, Merz reiterated Germany’s support for Israel, which he said “has a right to defend its existence and the safety of its citizens”, reports AFP.
But he added that Germany reserves the right to “critically question what Israel wants to achieve in the Gaza Strip”.
He also said that Germany “will not consider suspending or terminating” the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which has been under review by the EU as it looks to pressure Israel into allowing more aid into Gaza.
However, Merz also called on Israel to ensure “humane treatment of the people in the Gaza Strip, especially women, children and the elderly”.
Merz made the comments amid hopes for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran announced by US President Donald Trump, even as the two sides accused each other of continuing hostilities and the US president voiced frustration with both.
Israel launched strikes against Iran on June 13, hitting nuclear and military sites as well as residential areas, and prompting waves of retaliatory Iranian missile attacks.
The United States has also been involved, launching strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023 that killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign against Hamas has killed at least 55,908 people, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
China says it supports Iran in achieving a ‘genuine ceasefire’
Meanwhile, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi said today that Beijing supports Iran in achieving a ‘genuine ceasefire’, as Israel accused Tehran of violating a fragile truce.
“China supports Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security, and, on that basis, achieving a genuine ceasefire so that people can return to normal life,” Wang told his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in a phone call, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the country “refrained” from further strikes on Iran today after a call with US President Donald Trump.
Israel had accused Tehran of violating a fragile ceasefire agreement by firing two missiles, with Defence Minister Israel Katz immediately promising “to respond forcefully”.
But Trump took to his Truth Social platform on Tuesday to tell Israel “do not drop those bombs”, before he angrily accused the country and Iran of ceasefire violations.
Wang, in his call with Araghchi, said that China had immediately “voiced condemnation” after US strikes on key nuclear facilities in Iran on Saturday.
“Military strikes on nuclear facilities that are under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency seriously violate the purposes of the UN Charter and international law,” Wang added.
