٠٠:٠٠:٤١Mandatory credit: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas visited a home hit by a rocket in Petah Tikva with his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi on Thursday.
Germany's top diplomat reiterated Berlin's support for Israel's right to self-defence amid the latest escalation of hostilities with Palestine after landing in the Middle East earlier in the day. During his visit he is also seeking to add his voice to calls for a general ceasefire.
A day prior the German foreign minister condemned 'rocket terror' from Hamas, describing such attacks as being responsible for the current situation.
"The Middle East is currently experiencing the worst violence in years and Hamas's rocket terror is responsible for this," Maas stated, during a session on the current hostilities at the Bundestag in Berlin on Wednesday.
The foreign minister emphasised that Hamas needed to stop its attacks "so that this bloodshed ends and the weapons finally get silenced."
During his trip to the Middle East, Maas was later scheduled to meet with the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas.
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians began to spiral over the planned eviction of Palestinian families from East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, as well as repeated clashes between worshippers and Israeli police at the al-Aqsa compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, during Ramadan.
Subsequent hostilities including rockets fired from Gaza, have left 12 civilians dead in Israel, including two children, while a campaign of Israeli airstrikes and bombardments has killed over 200 people, including at least 60 children.
Israel: German FM Maas visits home hit by rocket in Petah Tikva with counterpart Ashkenazi
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas visited a home hit by a rocket in Petah Tikva with his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi on Thursday.
Germany's top diplomat reiterated Berlin's support for Israel's right to self-defence amid the latest escalation of hostilities with Palestine after landing in the Middle East earlier in the day. During his visit he is also seeking to add his voice to calls for a general ceasefire.
A day prior the German foreign minister condemned 'rocket terror' from Hamas, describing such attacks as being responsible for the current situation.
"The Middle East is currently experiencing the worst violence in years and Hamas's rocket terror is responsible for this," Maas stated, during a session on the current hostilities at the Bundestag in Berlin on Wednesday.
The foreign minister emphasised that Hamas needed to stop its attacks "so that this bloodshed ends and the weapons finally get silenced."
During his trip to the Middle East, Maas was later scheduled to meet with the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas.
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians began to spiral over the planned eviction of Palestinian families from East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, as well as repeated clashes between worshippers and Israeli police at the al-Aqsa compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, during Ramadan.
Subsequent hostilities including rockets fired from Gaza, have left 12 civilians dead in Israel, including two children, while a campaign of Israeli airstrikes and bombardments has killed over 200 people, including at least 60 children.
Mandatory credit: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas visited a home hit by a rocket in Petah Tikva with his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi on Thursday.
Germany's top diplomat reiterated Berlin's support for Israel's right to self-defence amid the latest escalation of hostilities with Palestine after landing in the Middle East earlier in the day. During his visit he is also seeking to add his voice to calls for a general ceasefire.
A day prior the German foreign minister condemned 'rocket terror' from Hamas, describing such attacks as being responsible for the current situation.
"The Middle East is currently experiencing the worst violence in years and Hamas's rocket terror is responsible for this," Maas stated, during a session on the current hostilities at the Bundestag in Berlin on Wednesday.
The foreign minister emphasised that Hamas needed to stop its attacks "so that this bloodshed ends and the weapons finally get silenced."
During his trip to the Middle East, Maas was later scheduled to meet with the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas.
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians began to spiral over the planned eviction of Palestinian families from East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, as well as repeated clashes between worshippers and Israeli police at the al-Aqsa compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, during Ramadan.
Subsequent hostilities including rockets fired from Gaza, have left 12 civilians dead in Israel, including two children, while a campaign of Israeli airstrikes and bombardments has killed over 200 people, including at least 60 children.