Merz says Germany and Jordan to deliver aid to Gaza

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that Berlin plans to establish an airlift to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip with the support of Jordan.

"We know that this can only be a very small help for the people in Gaza," Merz said, adding it is "a contribution we are happy to make."

"We want to end the humanitarian suffering of the civilian population in Gaza as quickly as possible," Merz said. "We want the weapons in Gaza to fall silent immediately. Above all, we want our friends in Israel to finally find peace after the horrific events of October 7, 2023, and to be able to live in lasting security and peace."

Jordan has served as a hub for aid deliveries to Gaza and has parachuted food into the territory for the past two days.

The Israeli army began dropping aid supplies in the Gaza Strip over the weekend. It also announced the establishment of "humanitarian corridors" for trucks carrying aid supplies.

Israel has been accused of engineering the starvation it now seeks to ease by dropping the aid into Gaza.

Severe shortages of food and water in the sealed-off Palestinian territory have prompted warnings from UN agencies of "catastrophic hunger."