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Scholz and Netanyahu: Israel's Prime Minister thanked the Chancellor for his visit

Photo: Michael Kappeler / dpa

Olaf Scholz is in Israel. Together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he appeared before the press. At the same time, the Chancellor assured Israel of Germany's solidarity and support. "This is a visit to friends in difficult times. The security of Israel and its citizens is a raison d'être," Scholz said at the press conference in Tel Aviv.

The Federal Chancellor once again condemned the attack by Hamas terrorists on 7 October in the strongest possible terms. "Israel has the right to defend itself against this terrorism," Scholz said. This is enshrined in international law. He promised Netanyahu that he would protect Jewish institutions in Germany. "Jewish life in Germany is a gift," Scholz said.

At the same time, the Federal Chancellor warned foreign actors against intervening in the current conflict between Israel and Hamas. "No actor should think it is a good idea to intervene in this conflict from the outside," Scholz said. "It would be a grave, unforgivable mistake, and in the past few days we have conveyed this message through various channels to those to whom it is addressed."

Scholz stressed that the German government was doing everything in its power to ensure that the conflict between Israel and Hamas did not escalate. "It is important to prevent a conflagration in the region," warned the Federal Chancellor. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms the bloodthirsty, cruel attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists," the Federal Chancellor continued. Hamas' atrocities "made the blood run cold."

Netanyahu draws comparison to Babyn Yar massacre

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Hamas terror attack "the worst crime against Jews since the Holocaust." People have been beheaded, children have been shot with their hands bandaged behind their backs or in front of their parents. Holocaust survivors were also abducted to the Gaza Strip by Hamas terrorists.

Netanyahu compared the actions of the Hamas attackers to the Babyn Yar massacre. On September 29/30, 1941, the Nazis shot more than 33,000 Jewish men, women and children in the narrow gorge of Babyn Yar on the former outskirts of Kiev.

"This is an atrocity that we remember only from the Nazi crimes during the Holocaust," Netanyahu said. "Hamas are the new Nazis." He also compared the organization to the terrorist network "Islamic State" (IS). He called for "broad international support" for Israel in the fight against Hamas. The world must stand united behind Israel to defeat Hamas," Netanyahu said. He thanked Scholz for his visit to Israel and his solidarity.

Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, launched a full-scale attack on Israel on October 7, carrying out massacres of civilians and abducting at least 199 hostages to the Gaza Strip. In Israel, more than 1400,3000 people were killed, according to Israeli figures. In the Israeli counterattacks on the Gaza Strip, about <>,<> people were killed, according to the authorities there.

asc/dpa/AFP