German leaders intensified their public criticism of Israel on Tuesday, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz sharply questioning the rationale behind the IDF’s continued bombardment of Gaza. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul signaled that Germany is preparing to evaluate its options in response to what he described as an intolerable situation.
“The massive military strikes by the Israelis in the Gaza Strip no longer reveal any logic to me. How they serve the goal of confronting terror… In this respect, I view this very, very critically,” Merz stated during a leadership conference in Turku, Finland.
“I am also not among those who said it first… But it seemed and seems to me that the time has come when I must say publicly — what is currently happening is no longer comprehensible.”
Merz said he intends to speak with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu in the coming days about developments in Gaza. He sidestepped a reporter’s inquiry regarding Germany’s arms shipments to Israel. A spokesperson later clarified that such decisions fall under the jurisdiction of a national security council chaired by Merz.
This wave of remarks represented a notable shift in tone for Berlin, which has long been one of Israel’s staunchest allies within the European Union.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has strained the historically close relationship, as Germany seeks to navigate a complex diplomatic path — supporting Israel’s right to defend itself while emphasizing humanitarian protections for Palestinians.
Foreign Minister Wadephul said he would soon speak with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and expressed alarm over the dire humanitarian conditions facing Gaza’s residents.
“Our committed fight against antisemitism and our full support for the right to exist and the security of the State of Israel must not be instrumentalized for the conflict and the warfare currently being waged in the Gaza Strip,” Wadephul said in a WDR interview.
“We are now at a point where we have to think very carefully about what further steps to take,” he added, without outlining any specific actions.
Responding to the German leaders’ statements, Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, acknowledged their concerns but stopped short of offering any policy changes.
“When Friedrich Merz raises this criticism of Israel, we listen very carefully because he is a friend,” Prosor told ZDF.
Also on Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen criticized Israel’s bombing of civilian locations in Gaza, calling one recent attack “abhorrent” during a phone conversation with Jordan’s King Abdullah II. That airstrike reportedly hit a school that had been converted into a shelter for displaced families.
The Israeli military defended the strike, stating that Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives were using the building as a command post.
“The expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza targeting civilian infrastructure, among them a school that served as a shelter for displaced Palestinian families, killing civilians, including children, is abhorrent,” von der Leyen said, as quoted in an official European Commission summary of the call.
{Matzav.com}