Germany does not support the European Commissionʼs proposal for sanctions against Israel over the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
This was stated by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful, writes Spiegel.
According to him, the planned termination of cooperation within the Horizon Europe research support program will have no impact on the formation of political will or on Israelʼs military actions in the Gaza Strip. Therefore, according to him, these proposals are not convincing enough.
Wadeful emphasized that Germany, in return, is limiting arms supplies to Israel.
In late July, the European Commission proposed partially suspending Israelʼs participation in the Horizon Europe program, which would increase pressure on the country to provide better humanitarian aid to people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is waging war against the Islamist Hamas movement. Israeli companies could lose access to multimillion-euro grants as a result of the punitive measure.
What is happening in the Gaza Strip?
Active hostilities between Israel and Hamas have continued since October 7, 2023, when militants of the Islamist group launched a massive rocket attack on southern and central Israel, invaded the countryʼs territory, killed hundreds of civilians, and took hostages.
In mid-January 2025, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages. On March 2, Israel agreed to temporarily extend the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
However, on the night of March 18, Israel resumed hostilities in the Gaza Strip after a two-month ceasefire. Israel blamed Hamas for the resumption of hostilities, claiming that the militants had rejected all proposals to extend the ceasefire.
Therefore, any further negotiations with Hamas, if any, will be conducted only “under fire” — that is, Israel refuses to accept a ceasefire as a condition for starting new negotiations.
In early May, Netanyahu reported a plan to seize the entire Gaza Strip. Tens of thousands of reservists were called up in the country to expand the military operation. On May 18, the Israel Defense Forces began “large-scale” ground operations in the Gaza Strip.
In late May, the United States proposed a 60-day ceasefire plan for the Gaza Strip. It includes the release of 28 Israeli hostages — dead and alive — in exchange for the release of 1 236 Palestinian prisoners and the return of the remains of 180 Palestinians killed.
At the time, it was said that the document was guaranteed by Trump and mediators — Egypt and Qatar. The White House said that Israel had “approved and supported” the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, but that discussions were ongoing.
However, the parties never reached an agreement. The Times of Israel wrote that despite the militantsʼ essentially positive response, Israel viewed it as a "de facto refusal".
Donald Trump on July 2 again stated that Israel had agreed to the terms of a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. The WSJ, citing sources, wrote on July 5 that Hamas had agreed to the main proposals of the agreement.
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