German FM expresses 'solidarity' with Israel as Gaza death toll mounts, calls for ceasefire

Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas expressed his support for Israel as he visited Thursday, and called for a ceasefire between the Jewish state and Hamas, after an Israeli offensive on the besieged Gaza Strip left hundreds of Palestinians dead.

"I came here to express my solidarity... Israel has the right to defend itself against this massive and unacceptable attack," he said at a joint news conference with his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi in Tel Aviv.

The quality of the images above #Gaza is often relatively poor on @Google's service, despite the reported existence of better photographs elsewhere. 👇 #GoogleEarth #Palestine #Israelhttps://t.co/t6tUoOkdj1

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) May 19, 2021

Maas visited after 10 days of Israeli aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip which has left 230 Palestinians dead, including 65 children, 39 women, and 17 elderly. The number of wounded Palestinians stands at 1,710.

"Let me say it again very clearly: For us the security of Israel and the security of all Jews in Germany are non-negotiable and Israel can always rely on that," said Maas.

The German foreign minister said he had been in "nearly constant contact" with Ashkenazi during the past week, as well as diplomats in Cairo, Doha, Amman and Washington.

"I hope that the efforts to reach a ceasefire will also be successful," he said.

Maas is scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. He has no plans to meet with Hamas, which the European Union considers a terrorist organisation.