Germany's military is prepared to continue its aid flights over Gaza for as long as necessary, the Ministry of Defence in Berlin said on Friday.
"We are reacting flexibly to the need," said a spokesman. "We are ready as long as we, together with our partners, consider these aid flights to be necessary, [we] are able to keep going."
The air force will stay as long as there are relief supplies to distribute, he added.
As of Friday morning, German military aircraft had completed four flights with a total of 22 tons of relief supplies on board. Last Saturday, the air force began dropping food and other items by parachute over Gaza.
The German Foreign Office again appealed to Israel to allow more humanitarian aid to reach the coastal territory by land, stressing that this is the most efficient way to supply suffering residents.
"It's about children, mothers, men who are starving, and it's about ensuring that these people can be well cared for," a spokesman said.
The delivery of goods by sea and air could not replace supplies by land, the foreign office reiterated.
The spokesperson went on to say that Israel controls the goods that arrive in Gaza by land. Goods are repeatedly not allowed through because Israel suspects that they could be used by Hamas for military operations.
"In this case, too, our appeal goes out to Israel to organize border controls as efficiently as possible and to limit controls to what is absolutely necessary."
