18-10-2023 (TEL AVIV) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his entourage were forced to evacuate their plane at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday evening due to ongoing rocket attacks in the vicinity.
Social media platforms were flooded with pictures and videos showing aides and journalists hastily leaving the aircraft and seeking shelter by lying down on the runway, while Chancellor Scholz was reportedly escorted to a secure location.
“I personally witnessed explosions in the sky as the Israeli Iron Dome intercepted two missiles,” tweeted Robin Alexander, deputy editor-in-chief of German daily Welt, which, like POLITICO, is owned by Axel Springer. His statement referred to rockets successfully intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system.
Following an additional security check, Scholz and his accompanying team were able to reboard the plane a few minutes later, as reported by Bild.
The Chancellor had been visiting Israel to express solidarity with the country in the aftermath of a brutal terrorist attack by Hamas, as well as to help de-escalate tensions in the region and improve humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The evacuation occurred just as Scholz was preparing to depart for Cairo, where he is scheduled to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Wednesday.
On Tuesday evening, a devastating explosion struck a hospital in Gaza City, resulting in the tragic loss of over 500 Palestinian lives, according to the Hamas-led Palestinian Ministry of Health. While Hamas attributed the incident to an Israeli airstrike, Israel claimed it was a misfired rocket launched by Palestinian militants.
Earlier in the evening, Scholz had issued a warning to Iran and Hezbollah, urging them not to intervene in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. During a press statement alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, the Chancellor emphasized that any such interference would constitute a grave and unforgivable mistake. He reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to Israel’s security and its right to defend itself against Hamas.
However, Scholz also delivered a veiled message to Netanyahu, urging Israeli forces to adhere to international humanitarian law in their response to Hamas.
“Germany and Israel share the commonality of being democratic constitutional states. Our actions are guided by the principles of law and order, even in extreme situations,” Scholz stated during the press briefing. He further mentioned discussing ways to expedite the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza with Netanyahu.
In response, the Israeli Prime Minister reminded the German leader of the Nazi massacres, such as those at Babi Yar in Ukraine in 1941. Netanyahu described Hamas’ recent violent attack as “the worst crimes committed against Jews since the Holocaust” and referred to them as “the new Nazis.”
