Tizian Stocker: As you mentioned in the text1, you condemn both the actions of Hamas, especially on the 7th. October 2023, and those of the Israeli government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. You describe Germany’s current misguided approach to Gaza. Could you elaborate on that…
René Wildangel: In my opinion, it is not legitimate to equate what happened on October 7th with what we have seen in Gaza in the past two years. Hamas committed deplorable crimes on October 7th – the harming of civilians is simply terrorism. It needs to be condemned, and perpetrators should be held accountable. However, the Israeli response was not directed against Hamas, but against an entire population of 2,3 million people in Gaza. Ever since former Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant announced a war against „human animals“ grave crimes have been committed by Israel: by now the list of war crimes and crimes against humanity is long. All major human rights organisations and the International Association of Genocide Scholars agree that Israel is committing Genocide in Gaza. Over 63.000 Gazans have been killed, while the real number might be a lot higher, as many of those killed haven’t been found under the rubble. Shocking statistics from the IDF itself reveal, that over 80% of those killed are civilians.2 Also, the systematic policy of starvation – another grave breach of international law, and humanity – is slowly destroying Gazans’ capacities to resist the horrific conditions on the ground. Youngsters and the elderly are extremely affected, but after months of blocking aid deliveries by the United Nations, most Gazans are now facing famine, as the last IPC report from August has documented.3 Instead of delivering aid under humanitarian principles, the notorious Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private scheme established by Israel and the United States, has introduced a largely inaccessible and intransparent system of food distributions that has become a death trap for over 1400 Gazans who were murdered at the sites.
Tizian Stocker: …and what should be done, for instance by Germany or the EU?
René Wildangel: Germany and the EU have failed to respond adequately. While the United States under Trump have decided to support this destructive war and the President himself has repeatedly fantasised about deporting Gazans in order to create a „Gaza riviera“ it would have been a bare minimum for the EU to use its leverage over Israel to stop the offensive and establish a ceasefire – the foundation for humanitarian access, the release of Israeli hostages and reconstruction. While there is a consensus on the illegality of Israel’s action, little to none has been done to protect Gazans – and Palestinians in the West Bank, who are experiencing unchecked violence from settlers and the Israeli army. Over 1000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank alone since October 7th. Germany and the EU could have a lot of influence over Israel’s government: It is Israel’s biggest trading partner, and threatening the freeze of the trade chapter in the EU-Israel association agreement would be a more than serious message. While some EU member states, such as Denmark, the Netherlands, and Spain, are considering the move, Germany is actively undermining such meaningful steps. However Chancellor Merz had verbally addressed the „inaccaptable conduct by the Israeli army“ and announced a partial German ban on arms deliveries which could be used in Gaza in mid August. But after domestic criticism from his own party, he quickly excluded any further pressure on Israel. The timing could not be worse: Israel is creating facts on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank, which could perpetuate the violence and injustice towards Palestinians for decades. And Germany’s conduct is currently enabling an openly pursued genocidal campaign against a whole civilian population, which makes a mockery of its own claims of „never again“. “One day”, as Omar Al-Akkad has written, „everyone will have always been against this.“ Whenever this might be the case, it will be too late.
René Wildangel is a German historian and journalist specialising in the history and politics of the Middle East. He has worked for the German Foreign Office, the Green Party’s parliamentary group, the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Ramallah, as well as for Amnesty International and the European Council on Foreign Relations. His research focuses on Palestinian history, particularly the perception of National Socialism, and he regularly publishes analyses in major German and international media. In addition to German, he speaks Arabic, Hebrew, Portuguese, Persian, Greek, French, and Spanish.
- German journal “Blätter für deutsche und internationale Politik”, the seventh/July 2025 edition https://www.blaetter.de ↩︎
- Graham-Harrison, Emma, and Yuval Abraham. “Revealed: Israeli Military’s Own Data Indicates Civilian Death Rate of 83% in Gaza War.” The Guardian, August 22, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/aug/21/revealed-israeli-militarys-own-data-indicates-civilian-death-rate-of-83-in-gaza-war. ↩︎
- Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. “FAMINE REVIEW COMMITTEE: GAZA STRIP, AUGUST 2025.” Https://Www.Ipcinfo.Org/Fileadmin/User_upload/Ipcinfo/Docs/IPC_Famine_Review_Committee_Report_Gaza_Aug2025.Pdf, August 22, 2025.https://www.ipcinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ipcinfo/docs/IPC_Famine_Review_Committee_Report_Gaza_Aug2025.pdf. ↩︎
