Berlin, Nov 6: German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Saturday that Palestinian Hamas movement’s attack on Israel was a declaration of war on the “civilized world” and the movement itself must be destroyed.
“Basically, Hamas must be destroyed because it destroyed the peace process in the Middle East,” Habeck was quoted as saying by Welt.
Habeck noted that Palestinians have the right to create their own state, therefore the creation of two states is the correct political solution to the conflict. However, such a decision is not in the interests of Hamas, the minister added.
“They [Hamas] are not fighting for the Palestinian people to have their own state. They are fighting for a war. They want to start a war and destroy Israel, which, of course, will not happen, but it will bring unbearable suffering to their own population,” Habeck said.
Hamas is trying to mislead others by presenting its actions as a “political proposal,” the minister added.
“This is not a political proposal, it is a declaration of war on the civilized world,” he said.
On October 7, Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip and breached the border, killing and abducting people in neighboring Israeli communities. Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million people, cutting off supplies of water, food, and fuel. On October 27, Israel launched a large-scale ground incursion inside the Gaza Strip to eliminate Hamas fighters and rescue the hostages.
The escalation of the conflict has resulted in the deaths of around 1,400 people in Israel and over 9,000 in the Gaza Strip and raised the risk of a wider regional conflagration due to concerns about Iran or Lebanese militant group Hezbollah joining the fray.
