Julia Klöckner on Thursday became the first German politician to set foot in the Gaza Strip since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel and Israel's subsequent military operations against the territory.

According to the Bundestag,Germany's lower house of parliament, Klöckner spent around an hour in Gaza within the area controlled by Israel's military on Thursday, as part of her three-day trip.

Accompanying journalists were not permitted to join the Bundestag speaker on her brief embed with the Israel Defense Forces into Gaza. 

What did Klöckner say about the visit? 

The 53-year-old member of the governing Christian Democrats welcomed Israel's decision to allow a German parliamentary observer access to the Gaza Strip, according to the Bundestag. 

She called on Israel's government to continue to pursue the path of opening up the territory following the ceasefire deal struck late last year. While the ceasefire has prevented the outbreak of large-scale fighting, the Israeli military has launched attacks in recent weeks over what it says were violations of the truce. 

She said the so-called Yellow Line included in that ceasefire accord that denotes the area controlled by Israel's military was not envisaged as a border but rather a temporary demarcation line.

"It cannot become a lasting barrier," Klöckner said. 

She also appealed for the access of international and independent observers, saying that a "transparent picture of the situation strengthens trust." 

Parliamentary speaker invited by Israel's Knesset

During her visit, Klöckner also addressed Israel's parliament, the Knesset, laid a wreath at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, spoke with Israeli soldiers and with relatives of those killed during the attack at the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023, near the border to Gaza. 

It was not clear until the last moment whether Klöckner's brief excursion into Gaza would go ahead. Despite the ceasefire struck last year, lower-level fighting is still fairly common in the region.

Israel's parliament, which had invited Klöckner, was said to have played a meaningful role in arranging the authorization. 

The German Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it does not comment on visits or potential security concerns related to political trips organized by separate German political institutions.

Although she's a senior member of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats, Klöckner is not a member of his Cabinet. 

Opposition criticizes absence of talks with Palestinians in Gaza

German government ministers, including current Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul have visited the West Bank, including for talks with Palestinians, since the October 7 attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza, but they had not entered the Gaza Strip. 

The leader of the opposition Greens, Franziska Brantner, criticized Klöckner's trip as unsatisfactory in an interview with Der Spiegel. She said Klöckner would only be sampling a limited glimpse of the reality in the Gaza Strip. 

"It is good that Bundestag speaker Julia Klöckner would like to get a picture of what's happening on the ground in Gaza," Brantner said. "But if she does this without even listening to the Palestinian side, she must be willing to accept the allegation that she's only really interested in a one-sided view of the reality in the region." 

Edited by: Sean Sinico