Scholz to visit Jordan and Israel over weekend

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is set to visit Jordan and Israel over the weekend, a spokesperson said Friday, as international efforts intensify to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip.

Scholz is scheduled to hold talks with Jordan's King Abdullah II on Saturday and Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, according to German Chancellor's spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit announced at a regular press conference.

The spokesperson added, "Our support for Israel remains unwavering, but we also demand respect for all principles of international law," amid the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which has reached catastrophic levels, and international efforts, especially from the West, intensify to deliver food to the besieged Palestinians in the Strip by land and air.

In Israel, the Chancellor will once again warn "against any Israeli attack on the city of Rafah" in the southernmost part of the Gaza Strip bordering Egypt and call for "enhanced humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip," according to Hebestreit.

Additionally, the German Chancellor will reiterate his call for Hamas to release the Israeli hostages it still holds, which could "pave the way for a truce."

AFP