German Chancellor Olaf Scholz with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv. Photo: Reuters/Maya Alleruzzo

i24 News – Israel is acting in self-defense following the Hamas atrocities on October 7, a German state official said on Friday, announcing the country will intervene on Israel’s behalf at the Hague, where the Jewish state defends itself against South Africa’s charge of “genocide.”

German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit emphasized Berlin’s commitment to the UN Genocide Convention, signed in 1948 in response to the Holocaust.

Pending approval, Germany plans to intervene as a third party before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) under an article permitting states to seek clarification on the application of a multilateral convention.

An official statement from the German government clarified that Berlin opposes the “political instrumentalization” of the Genocide Convention.

“On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists brutally attacked, tortured, killed and kidnapped innocent people in Israel,” the statement read. “Hamas’s goal is to wipe out Israel. Since then, Israel has been defending itself against the inhumane attack by Hamas.”

“The Federal Government firmly and expressly rejects the accusation of genocide that has now been made against Israel at the International Court of Justice. This accusation has no basis whatsoever.”