BERLIN — The speaker of Germany's lower house of parliament briefly visited the Israeli-controlled part of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, the body told AFP. 

 

Julia Kloeckner spent "about an hour in the part of Gaza controlled by Israeli army forces", parliament said in response to an AFP query, becoming the first German official to visit the territory since Hamas's attack on Israel in October 2023 that sparked a devastating war in Gaza.

 

Since the start of the war, Israel has drastically restricted access to the densely populated coastal strip.

 

Kloeckner welcomed that "Israel has made it possible, with me, for the first time, for a parliamentary observer to access the Gaza Strip", in comments to German public broadcaster ZDFHeute.

 

She called on Israel to "pursue this path of opening".

 

The German foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.

 

Germany has been one of Israel's staunchest supporters as the European power seeks to atone for the legacy of the Holocaust.

 

But in recent months, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has occasionally delivered sharp critiques of Israeli policy as German public opinion turns against Israel's actions in Gaza.

 

In August, Germany imposed a partial arms embargo on Israel.

 

The embargo was lifted in November, after the announcement of what has proved to be a fragile ceasefire for Gaza.

 

Merz visited Israel in December and reaffirmed Germany's support.

 

But in a sign of lingering tension, Germany's foreign ministry on Wednesday criticised Israeli plans to tighten control over the occupied West Bank as a step toward "de facto annexation".