Germany on Monday reiterated its concern over Israeli plans to invade Rafah city in the Gaza Strip during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan if hostages held by Hamas are not released.
"We have expressed several times that we view the reports about this with concern," Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Christian Wagner said at a press briefing in Berlin.
"The humanitarian situation in Gaza and of course in Rafah is already catastrophic… What is needed now is a humanitarian pause, you know-as we speak-negotiations are underway about it," he added.
Wagner's remarks referred to statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, who said Israeli forces would push into the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah regardless of the outcome of talks to pause the fighting that appears to have been making some progress in recent days.
"It has to be done," the Israeli prime minister threatened, adding, "Because total victory is our goal, and total victory is within reach."
The Israeli army plans to launch a ground attack in Rafah, home to more than 1.4 million residents seeking refuge from war, to defeat what Tel Aviv calls the remaining "Hamas battalions."
Palestinians have sought refuge in Rafah as Israel has pounded the rest of the enclave since Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed nearly 30,000 victims, injured over 70,000 more, and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities in the besieged Gaza.
According to Benny Gantz, a former defense minister, the invasion of Rafah will occur in coordination with "our American and Egyptian partners to minimize civilian casualties."
"The world must know, and Hamas leaders must know-if by Ramadan our hostages are not home, the fighting will be extended to the Rafah area," the Times of Israel newspaper quoted Gantz as saying.
Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, is expected to begin on March 10.
Hamas is believed to be holding more than 130 Israeli hostages following its cross-border attack, which Tel Aviv says killed nearly 1,200 people.
The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
