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Germany updates: Merz criticizes Israel in summer address
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that Israel's actions in Gaza are not "acceptable," in his summer press conference. Stay with Best for youfor the latest.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke on various issues during his press conference before the summer break.
In it, he made a rare criticism of Israel for its actions in Gaza, calling them "no longer acceptable."
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt is hosting colleagues from across the EU for a migration summit at the country's Zugspitz mountaintop.
Here's a roundup of the latest news, backgrounders and analysis from and about Germany on Friday July 18, 2025:
Merz: Israel's approach to Gaza 'no longer acceptable'
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took the unusual step of criticizing Israel on Friday.
Merz, speaking at an annual summer press conference, said Israel's approach to Gaza is "no longer acceptable."
The chancellor called for an immediate ceasefire in the beleaguered enclave as the death toll there surpassed 58,000 this week.
He also called for more humanitarian assistance for those in Gaza — something that has been gravely hampered by Israel's decision to boot all international aid programs out of Gaza in favor of the highly controversial US-run and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which critics have called a cynical death trap for desperate Gazans seeking to find food for their families.
Merz said he is in regular contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that he has offered to increase German aid to the enclave.
Merz also noted that his government "does not support" Israel's settlement policy. adding that he clearly expressed that sentiment in his calls with Netanyahu.
"It's clear where we stand. We are doing everything we can to do right by both sides [Israel and Palestinians in Gaza]," said Merz, noting that "the state of Israel would cease to exist" if it didn't defend itself. At the same time, said Merz, "We see the suffering of the Palestinian people and we are also trying to do all we can to deliver humanitarian assistance."
Germany, due to what it refers to as its historical responsibility toward the state of Israel, has been one of its staunchest supporters during its war in Gaza, providing significant diplomatic and military support.
Merz on Friday brushed off calls for the suspension of EU association agreements with Israel as well as firmly rejecting any equivalency between Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Israel's approach to Gaza — stating that Russia had launched a war of aggression, whereas Israel was defending itself against Hamas.
Israel launched its military operations in Gaza and the wider Middle East after the Gaza-based Islamist group Hamas — listed as a terror organization by Israel, the US, EU and others — launched a surprise attack on October 7, 2023, leading to the deaths of some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and with another 250 being taken hostage.
Israel has killed more than 58,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to figures from the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. The UN considers the figures largely reliable, but an independent survey published in the journal Nature in late June said the death toll was likely closer to 84,000.
Germany arrests Libyan war crimes suspect wanted by ICC
German authorities on Friday announced that they had arrested a senior Libyan official wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on suspicion of having committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The ICC warrant for Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri's arrest cites his oversight of a prison notorious for the regular torture and sexual abuse of detainees.
El Hishri is accused of facilitating crimes including murder, torture and rape committed between February 2015 and early 2020
The ICC, which has been investigating crimes committed in Libya since the outbreak of civil war in the country in 2011, has said that El Hishri will remain in German custody until national proceedings can be completed.
"I thank the national authorities for their strong and consistent cooperation with the Court, including leading to this recent arrest," ICC Registrar Osvaldo Zavala Giler said in a statement.
Germany's Merz voices support for EU's latest Russian sanctions
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday welcomed the EU's announcement of yet another raft of sanctions against Russia over its ongoing invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
"It’s good that we in the EU have now agreed on the 18th sanctions package against Russia. It targets banks, energy, and the military industry. This weakens Russia’s ability to continue financing the war against Ukraine," wrote Merz in a social media post on X.
The sanctions were announced by the EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas. On Friday, Kallas wrote on X, "The EU just approved one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date," claiming, "Each sanction weakens Russia's ability to wage war."
Read the full story on the EU's 18th sanctions package against Russia.
Germany faces worst outdoor strawberry harvest in 30 years
German farms are bracing for their smallest outdoor strawberry harvest since 1995, with just 75,500 tons expected this year, according to initial estimates from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).
That's 4% below last year’s already weak crop of 78,600 tons — and 24% below the six-year average of 99,900 tons.
Asparagus yields are also falling, with just 98,900 tons forecast — 9% less than in 2024 and the worst harvest since 2010. Compared to the 2019–2024 average, the shortfall is 15%.
A key reason is the shrinking area under cultivation. Outdoor strawberry acreage is down 4% from last year to 8,100 hectares — the lowest since 1995.
Producers cite high costs and weaker demand for domestic strawberries, which are considered a premium product, as reasons for scaling back.
German FM Wadephul in Paris for Franco-German talks
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Friday traveled to Paris to meet with French colleague Jean-Noel Barrot. The two are scheduled to discuss Franco-German relations, which Chancellor Merz promised to invigorate upon taking office.
One issue the two are likely to address is Germany's tightening of its borders under the new administration.
Moreover, the two will exchange notes on support for Ukraine in its ongoing defense against invading Russian troops. Germany, for instance, recently volunteered to purchase US-made Patriot missiles to deliver to Kyiv as the US backs off from its support under President Donald Trump.
Wadephul and Barrot will also discuss the ongoing crisis in the Middle East and specifically, the fate of a 19-year-old French-German citizen arrested in Iran last month.
Germany resumes deportations to Afghanistan
A chartered flight has returned a group of Afghans from Germany after failed asylum claims and criminal convictions.
The German Interior Ministry on Friday confirmed it sent Afghan nationals back to their home country on board a flight from Leipzig airport.
"This morning, Germany is deporting 81 Afghan nationals to their country of origin as part of a collective repatriation effort," the ministry said. "These are Afghan men who are legally required to leave the country and who have a criminal record in the past."
More than 10 months ago, Germany resumed deporting Afghan nationals for the first time since the Taliban seized power in 2021. Then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz had pledged to ramp up removals of rejected asylum-seekers.
His successor, Friedrich Merz, made tougher migration policy a key pillar of his February election campaign.
Read the full story on the deportation of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan.
Merz to hold first summer press conference
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday morning will hold his first summer press conference since taking the oath of office in May.
The annual event, which usually begins with a statement by the chancellor followed by journalists' questions, can last hours and is typically a chancellor's last appearance before heading into summer vacation.
Merz is expected to field questions on the recent postponement of appointments to Germany's Constitutional Court in parliament, the war in Ukraine, and the ongoing tariff spat with the US.
Dobrindt hosts Zugspitz migration summit
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Friday will host several EU colleagues for a discussion on tightening migration policy in the bloc.
The meeting, which will take place at the top of Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze, will be attended by the interior ministers of Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France and Poland, as well as by EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner.
The ministers are scheduled to discuss deportations to third-countries as well as plans to shift asylum application processes there, fighting human trafficking, and the security of EU exterior borders.
Dobrindt has said he aims to release a so-called "Zugspitze declaration" at the meeting's end.
Critics have dubbed the meeting the "isolation summit."
Welcome to our coverage
Guten Tagand welcome to our coverage from Best for you's newsroom in Bonn.
Today, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will hold his first summer press conference, while Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt hosts EU colleagues to discuss migration policy, and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul heads to Paris for talks on Franco-German ties and other international issues.
This will all take place as Germany carries out its second deportation flight of Afghans since the Taliban returned to power.
Stay here with us for this and other news from Germany.
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