Hamas: German chancellor’s remarks justify Israel’s genocide in Gaza, reaffirm Berlin’s complicity

Qasem said on Friday that the German leader’s statements, in which he defended the continuation of Israel’s genocidal campaign for over two years, reflect “Germany’s entrenched bias and active complicity in the extermination of the Palestinian people,” despite the growing international consensus that the Israeli government is responsible for perpetuating the war.

He called on the German chancellor to end Berlin’s blind alignment with the Israeli occupation and to stop attempting to rationalize war crimes, urging him instead to “join the global conscience that has condemned Israel’s atrocities in Gaza.”

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sharply criticized Merz’s pro-Israel remarks during a joint press conference in Ankara. The German chancellor had claimed that Hamas’s refusal to release Israeli captives was the reason for continuing the war on Gaza, a statement Erdogan rejected as a “complete disregard for Israel’s genocide.”

“Does Germany not see the genocide Israel is committing in Gaza?” Erdogan asked, accusing Berlin of ignoring Israel’s atrocities, famine, and relentless attacks.

He underscored that nearly 60,000 children, women, and elderly people have been killed as a result of Israel’s bombardment and condemned its use of destructive weapons against Gaza.

Erdogan further noted that Israel resumed its airstrikes on Gaza even after the ceasefire agreement, stressing that the international community must “restrain Israel and put an end to the genocide and starvation in Gaza.”

He proposed involving both the German Red Cross and the Turkish Red Crescent in humanitarian efforts to halt the catastrophe, reiterating that Israel continues to use its advanced weaponry, including in recent attacks, to devastate the besieged enclave.

“Do you not see this in Germany? Do you not follow what is happening?” “Israel has long sought to subjugate Gaza through starvation and genocide, and it continues to do so today,” Erdogan said.