EURACTIV.com with agencies Est. 2min 18-10-2023 Content-Type: News Service News Service Produced externally by an organization we trust to adhere to journalistic standards. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was taken to a bomb shelter, while members of the delegation who was slower to disembark were forced to lie on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport. [X, formerly Twitter] Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Print Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram UpdatesHyperlink to Euractiv article added As German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was leaving Israel on Tuesday evening (17 October) following a visit in which he expressed solidarity with the country following the 7 October terrorist attack by Hamas, rocket fire from Gaza forced him to take cover. As Scholz boarded his official plane en route to Egypt, for planned meetings on Wednesday with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Hamas fired a rocket barrage, which prompted an order to evacuate the plane. Scholz was taken to a bomb shelter, while members of the delegation who was slower to disembark were forced to lie on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport. #Raketenalarm in Tel Aviv. Die Regierungsmaschine wird umgehend evakuiert. @Bundeskanzler wird in einen Schutzraum gebracht. Wir legen uns vor dem Flugzeug auf den Boden. @robinalexander_ @frautoroxel pic.twitter.com/OTWV55KUoA — Sara Sievert (@sara__si) October 17, 2023 German media reported that The German Chancellor watched the Israeli Iron Dome air defense system intercept one or more of the projectiles, from inside the sheltered airport area. He also twetted in support of Israel before finally departing. Brutaler Terror. Die Hinrichtung wehrloser Zivilisten. Ermordete Säuglinge, verschleppte Kinder. Gedemütigte Holocaust-Überlebende. Das lässt uns das Blut in den Adern gefrieren. Israel hat das Recht, sich dagegen zu wehren. Ein Staat hat die Pflicht, seine Bürger zu schützen. pic.twitter.com/WHvWfD7syy — Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) October 17, 2023 The Times of Israel writes that the incident took place at a time when Israel was being blamed for causing a devastating blast at a Gaza hospital, and before Israel had said it was not responsible and that an Islamic Jihad rocket was to blame. Biden heads to Israel after Gaza hospital strike kills hundreds A strike on a Gaza hospital killed hundreds of Palestinians, deepening tensions and raising the stakes for US President Joe Biden as he flies to Israel on 18 October to signal support for its war against Hamas. Scholz said Germany utterly condemns the “bloodthirsty” Hamas terrorist assault that started the war. He said that “the brutal attack on innocent civilians, the execution of civilians, murders of babies, abduction of women, men and children, and humiliation and parading of Holocaust survivors [before cameras], makes the blood run cold.” He also stated that Israel has the right and obligation under international law to protect its civilians. Noting that there were German citizens among those abducted, Scholz said Berlin would work to help attain their release and the release of all the hostages. Scholz met for 40 minutes in Tel Aviv with relatives of German hostages held by Hamas and said the German government would do whatever it can to secure the hostages’ release, the relatives told journalists on Tuesday. (Edited by Georgi Gotev) Read more with Euractiv Some differences remain as EU leaders seek cohesion on Israel-Hamas war
