German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday handed over 1.8 tons of medical supplies for the residents of Gaza as he visited Jordan on the second stop of his Middle East trip.
Steinmeier’s office said the equipment included ventilators for newborn babies, hospital beds, antibiotics, anticoagulants and painkillers.
The supplies were given to the Jordanian health service, which urgently needs them for its two field hospitals in the Gaza Strip.
“Together with Jordan, we are trying to make a joint contribution to at least alleviate the endless suffering of the people in Gaza,” said Steinmeier on a visit to the al-Azraq air base.
Germany intends to deliver a total of around 18 tons of medical supplies worth €1.5 million ($1.6 million).
The aid is urgently needed, especially after Israel pledged to ban the UN agency for Palestinian aid, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
“I hope that the Israeli decision on UNRWA is not final,” said Steinmeier. “We need to look for alternatives to help the population.”
Around 150 German troops are stationed at the al-Azraq air base, east of Amman.
Along with a similar number of troops in Erbil in northern Iraq, the German forces are engaged in the international deployment to combat Islamic State and to stabilize Iraq.
The German Air Force provides air transport capacity, supports coalition operations with refuelling aircraft and is involved in monitoring the airspace and seas. German troops also help train and advise Iraqi forces.
“I am very grateful for the good cooperation between the soldiers of the German Bundeswehr and the Jordanian Army,” Steinmeier said as he sat down for a meal with German troops.
Steinmeier is due to hold talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman on Wednesday to discuss the situation in the region. Jordan has taken in hundreds of thousands of refugees from its northern neighbour Syria over recent years.
Steinmeier met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto ruler, in Riyadh on Monday on the first stage of his Middle East trip.
He is due to conclude his three-day visit to the region in Turkey on Wednesday.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Colonel Gerd Schnell, contingent commander of the German contingent, fly on a Bundeswehr A400M aircraft to fly from Amman to Al-Azraq airbase. The German Bundeswehr has been involved in the international mission against the “Islamic State” since 2015 in order to help stabilize the region. President Steinmeier is on a four-day trip to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey. Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
