Federal Development Minister Reem Alabali-Radovan pledges support for the people of Gaza

In Ramallah, the delegation had the opportunity to visit such temporary accommodation, known as ‘refugee housing units’. These are modular emergency/temporary shelters that are more durable than tents, but are not permanent houses. The shelters have already been ordered and will be brought to Gaza as soon as the situation allows. Initially, around 400 particularly affected families will be accommodated there, while preparations for further transitional housing solutions are being worked out in parallel to provide longer-term support for displaced families. Ninety-two per cent of all residential buildings in Gaza are damaged or uninhabitable, which means that almost everyone is ‘living’ in tents or outdoors.

In addition to these two visits to FC projects, talks were held at the political level in Ramallah (Prime Minister, Minister of Planning) and in Israel. There, the Minister met with representatives of the Israeli authority COGAT, which, among other things, coordinates the logistics for imports into Gaza – and therefore also has to approve the import of mobile housing units. In Tel Aviv, Alabali-Radovan also met with relatives of Israeli hostages. She is campaigning for the unconditional release of the hostages, who have now been held captive by the terrorist organisation Hamas for almost two years. During the talks, Alabali-Radovan also emphasised Germany's demands for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and easier access for humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza.

KfW Development Bank: strongly committed to the Jordanian water sector

From the West Bank, the delegation travelled on to Jordan. The programme included a visit to the only remaining groundwater source in Amman, accompanied by state secretaries from the Ministry of Water and the Water Authority. The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), which is responsible for the programme, gave a presentation on groundwater management and quality in Jordan. The topic of growing and, in some cases, dramatic water shortages – exacerbated by strong population growth, including the influx of refugees – was also discussed.

KfW Development Bank has been involved in a large number of water supply and wastewater disposal projects in the country for decades. The great importance that Jordanians attach to development cooperation in this area was impressively expressed by the State Secretary from the Ministry of Water when asked by the BMZ delegation what would happen if German development cooperation were to withdraw its support for the Jordanian water sector: ‘We would all die. There would be no water in Jordan – we would all die.’

Completion in Saudi Arabia – potential collaborations

At the end of her trip, the minister travelled to Saudi Arabia, where she discussed potential cooperation in Syria and the Palestinian territories with a state secretary from the Saudi Ministry of Finance, with the focus on the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and humanitarian aid. One of the topics discussed was the Saudi Development Fund (SDF), which provides both humanitarian aid in the Islamic world and loans for global development projects. Following the withdrawal of USAID from international cooperation, the visit to Saudi Arabia is part of a broader strategy by Germany to forge new alliances.