German parliamentary speaker Julia Kloeckner visits Israeli-controlled Gaza, marking the first such official trip since the 2023 Hamas attack and calling for greater access.

BERLIN: The speaker of Germany’s lower house of parliament has become the first German official to visit the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023.

Julia Kloeckner spent about an hour in the Israeli-controlled part of the territory on Thursday, the Bundestag confirmed in response to an AFP query.

Since the start of the devastating war, Israel has drastically restricted access to the densely populated coastal strip.

Kloeckner welcomed that Israel had made it possible for a parliamentary observer to access Gaza for the first time.

She called on Israel to pursue this path of opening in comments to German public broadcaster ZDFHeute.

The German foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the visit.

Germany has been one of Israel’s staunchest supporters as the European power seeks to atone for the legacy of the Holocaust.

In recent months, however, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has occasionally delivered sharp critiques of Israeli policy as German public opinion turns against Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Germany imposed a partial arms embargo on Israel in August, which was lifted in November following the announcement of a fragile ceasefire.

Merz visited Israel in December and reaffirmed Germany’s support, but lingering tensions remain evident.

Germany’s foreign ministry on Wednesday criticised Israeli plans to tighten control over the occupied West Bank as a step toward de facto annexation.

 The Sun Malaysia