Merz: Germany stands firmly with Israel on third anniversary of Hamas attack
Merz pledged solidarity with Israel, warned about rising antisemitism and said a Palestinian state alongside Israel remains the goal.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz used the third anniversary of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack to reiterate Berlin’s support for Israel and to warn about rising antisemitism in Germany.
“Germany stands firmly with Israel. Our Israeli friends can rely on our commitment that such a crime will never happen again,” Merz said, linking his government’s stance to Germany’s historical responsibility.
Merz added that ensuring Israel’s security and survival is “a lesson from the Holocaust and part of German identity.” He said the long-term aim should be a new order in which Israelis, Palestinians and their neighbours can live in peace and security.
“In our conviction, this goal can best be achieved by creating a Palestinian state alongside Israel,” Merz said.
Commemoration, debate and concern over antisemitism
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described 7 October as “the largest mass murder of Jews after the Holocaust,” saying the day split time for many Jews into ‘before’ and ‘after’. “That day was the start of what seemed like endless suffering for hundreds of hostages and their families,” he said.
Wadephul also warned of a painful rise in antisemitism, including in Germany, and said: “This federal government, and I personally, resolutely oppose it.” He stressed that protecting Jewish life is a task for the whole of society and added: “Yes, it is shameful how much still needs to be done. In Germany and across the world.”
Commemorations and memorial services were held across Berlin and other German cities on 7 October. At the central event the Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt were scheduled to speak, and the Bundestag planned an afternoon debate on measures to protect Jewish life in Germany. From evening until midnight the Israeli national flag was to be projected onto the Brandenburg Gate.
On 7 October 2023, members of Hamas and other extremist groups killed around 1,200 people in Israel and abducted more than 250 others, who were taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip; the assault precipitated the war in Gaza.
Photo: press material from the event
