Welcome
Ceasefire in Gaza – Humanitarian situation remains precarious
Emergency hospital in Gaza supported by Federal Government humanitarian assistance funding © ICRC
A ceasefire is finally in place in Gaza, and the hostages held by Hamas have been freed. What the civilian population in Gaza needs most now is a massive expansion of supplies of food and medicines. Germany is prepared to provide assistance here.
For many months, the quantity of relief supplies crossing the border into Gaza was inadequate. Now, several months since the ceasefire began, the humanitarian situation there is still precarious. Since 2 February, the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt has reopened to a limited extent for the movement of people. This affords some hope to the sick and wounded in Gaza waiting for treatment abroad. It is now also possible again for a very limited number of people to enter Gaza.
The partial opening of the border crossing is an important step towards implementing the 20-point peace plan for Gaza.
On 9 October 2025, commenting on the implementation of the 20-point plan, Foreign Minister Wadephul said:
The first phase is decisive, because the hostages will at last be released and the suffering population in the Gaza Strip will at last have the hope of medical assistance, of foodstuffs, of water. The fact that this dreadful suffering can now end is of inestimable value. It shows that we do still live in a world in which understanding is possible, in which there is a point to diplomacy, and in which we need to step up our efforts in order to make progress.
Following the partial opening of Rafah, the German Government remains committed to working for the reopening of further border crossings to and from Gaza – above all for the transport of goods.
According to the United Nations, some 1.9 million people in Gaza – or 90% of the population – are internally displaced. 80% of Gaza’s buildings have been destroyed or damaged, and thus provide hardly any protection against wintry conditions. So the priority now is to get more shelters into Gaza and to restore infrastructure such as the water supply.
Assistance from Germany: Food and medical care
Since the very start of the war, Germany’s assistance has been focused on the most urgent needs of the people on the ground: medical and food aid – such as the distribution of food baskets and food supplements, the deployment of emergency medical teams and psychosocial support for families.
With German support, the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) are providing ready‑to‑eat nutrition supplements and infant formula to protect babies and young children from malnutrition.
The World Health Organization, as well as the German Red Cross, the Johanniter, Care International and Oxfam, can improve healthcare in Gaza – for example by running mobile clinics in emergency shelters and operating equipment for water treatment.
The UN Development Programme is assisting in the disposal of waste, to help prevent outbreaks of disease.
Immediately following the entry into force of the ceasefire in October 2025, the Federal Foreign Office made available a further 29 million euro for humanitarian assistance to combat the acute hunger and the health emergency in Gaza. This money goes to help the work of UN organisations, in particular the WFP, but also UNICEF and the WHO.
All in all, German assistance for the Palestinian territories has been increased by more than 375 million euro since 7 October 2023.