German Foreign Minister Alanana Barbuk in a speech in support of Israel: "Self-defense, of course, means not only attacking terrorists - but also destroying them.
That is why I made it clear that we are facing very difficult situations when Hamas terrorists are hiding behind civilians and in schools, but we are not deterred [from supporting Israel].
This is why I made it clear to the UN that even civilian institutions can lose their protected status because the terrorists take advantage of it.
This is Germany's position and this is the meaning of Israel's security for us."
Barbuk's words come against the background of reports that she acted to prevent the transfer of arms to Israel, as well as reports that she demanded from Israel guarantees of compliance with international law as a condition for continued security assistance from Germany.