Germany will ban all Hamas-linked activities, Scholz says

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that anyone who glorifies the crimes of Palestinian militant group Hamas, uses its symbols, condones murder, calls for criminal acts or burns Israeli flags could be prosecuted in Germany.

Speaking in the Bundestag, the German parliament, Scholz vowed “zero tolerance” on antisemitism and called on German law enforcement agencies to hold anyone who does such things accountable “with all the means that our defensible constitutional state offers.”

“These means expressly include bans on associations and activities. The Federal Ministry of the Interior will issue a ban on Hamas activities in Germany,” Scholz added.

Scholz’ remarks follow images in Berlin of some people celebrating Hamas’ attack on Israel last weekend, which he described as “despicable” and “inhuman” — adding “they contradict all the values to which we as a country are committed.”

On Iran’s influence over Hamas, the German chancellor said, “so far, we have no solid evidence that Iran has provided concrete and operational support for this cowardly attack by Hamas,” but added “it is clear to all of us that without Iranian support over the past several years, Hamas would not have been capable of these unprecedented attacks on Israeli territory”

In an attack that started Saturday morning, Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip infiltrated Israel, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and abducting dozens more, while firing rockets at cities. Israel has since hit back by commencing a siege of Gaza and firing its own barrage of retaliatory missiles, killing hundreds of Palestinians.