In a related context, Netanyahu stated in a television interview that he is strongly committed to the ‘Greater Israel’ vision, which includes Palestinian territories and parts of Arab countries. These statements have raised international concern, especially amid the settlement expansion in the West Bank. The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich approved the construction of more than 6,900 new settlement units near Jerusalem, increasing the complexity of the situation and undermining peace prospects. Abdel Ati informed his German counterpart about the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, where indirect negotiations continue between Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire deal. These negotiations come at a time when Gaza suffers from a tight siege.

This coincided with reports indicating mediation efforts led by Egypt and Qatar to accelerate negotiations between the two parties, amid estimates of about 50 prisoners in Gaza versus more than 10,800 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Hamas confirms its readiness to release all Israeli prisoners in exchange for ending the war and the withdrawal of the occupation army from the Strip, but there are internal criticisms of Netanyahu accusing him of seeking partial deals to prolong the war. Abdel Ati stressed the necessity of ensuring the unrestricted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, holding the occupation responsible for deliberately obstructing relief flow. Since early March, Israel has closed all crossings leading to Gaza, exacerbating famine conditions.

According to the latest Palestinian statistics, the ongoing Israeli extermination war since October 7, 2023, has resulted in the martyrdom of 61,827 people and injuries to 155,275 others, most of them women and children, in addition to more than 9,000 missing and the displacement of hundreds of thousands.