Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Friday, July 18, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Friday, July 18, 2025
Germany’s Merz cautions Israel on Gaza aid, settlements in call with Netanyahu
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German Chancellor Friedrich Merz leaves after a press conference on home and foreign policy in Berlin, Germany, July 18, 2025. (John MACDOUGALL / AFP)
BERLIN, Germany — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks on the phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and expresses hopes for a ceasefire in Gaza while calling for safe access to humanitarian aid there, a German government spokesperson says.
“The chancellor emphasised that the urgently needed humanitarian aid must now reach the people in the Gaza Strip in a safe and humane manner,” the spokesperson says in a statement.
“The chancellor emphasised that there must be no steps towards annexation of the West Bank.”
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