The German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst – DAAD) is shocked by the recent attacks on Israel by Hamas and Hezbollah. We stand in solidarity with our Israeli friends and higher education partners there, stated DAAD President Professor Joybrato Mukherjee.

‘The brutal attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon are deeply shocking. Our sympathy goes to the victims and their families and we extend our sincere condolences to all those who have lost loved ones or are anxious for their safety. We stand firmly in solidarity with all Israelis, and in particular with our numerous friends and partners at Israeli higher education institutions’, Mukherjee declared in Bonn.
The DAAD is monitoring developments on the ground very closely, especially with a view to the safety of DAAD beneficiaries there. This also involves close interchange with the Federal Foreign Office (AA). 

The DAAD funded some 1,000 exchanges from and to Israel last year, whereby 380 Israeli citizens were supported. It also maintains an information centre at Tel Aviv University. In addition to the exchange programmes, the DAAD’s connections with Israel include a series of specific programmes – such as the Centres for German and European Studies at Haifa University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Theological Studies Year in Jerusalem, and the New Kibbutz programme.