Germany In Contact With Israel, Hamas On Cross-Border Violence - Maas

Germany in Contact With Israel, Hamas on Cross-Border Violence - Maas

Germany has been engaged with both Israel and people with ties to Hamas in an effort to end rocket fire across the Israeli-Gazan border, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Tuesday

BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th May, 2021) Germany has been engaged with both Israel and people with ties to Hamas in an effort to end rocket fire across the Israeli-Gazan border, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Tuesday.

"I've been talking to my Israeli friend and colleague... and to colleagues from Jordan, Egypt and Qatar because we need both sides. We have been actively talking to our Israeli friends and those in direct contact with Hamas, especially our colleagues in Cairo," he said.

Germany wants that "weapons fall silent" to prepare for direct negotiations between the warring parties, Maas said ahead of the informal virtual meeting of EU foreign ministers.

The Israel Defense Forces and the Palestinian militants have exchanged fire for more than a week. The increase in violence, the worst in years, has killed 10 people in Israel and 220 in Gaza, almost a fourth of them children.