Baerbock to travel to Israel in show of German support after attacks

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is travelling to Israel on Friday in a show of support following the attacks by Hamas militants, the Foreign Office in Berlin said.

Baerbock's visit comes amid a flurry of diplomatic activity to prevent Israel's conflict with Hamas from spiralling into a regional war.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly was in Israel on Wednesday.

Earlier on Thursday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz received the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, one of the most notable supporters of the Islamist militant group Hamas, to discuss the dramatic situation in the Middle East.

The chancellor said Qatar has an important mediating role which it was now putting to use. During their talks in Berlin, the chancellor called for the fastest possible release of Israeli hostages. Earlier on Thursday, Scholz held a speech before parliament, announcing a ban on all Hamas activities in Germany. Hamas is already classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States.

The Palestinian solidarity network Samidoun is to be banned as well. It had cheered the attack on Israel on Saturday by handing out sweets in Berlin's Neukölln district.

"This is despicable. This is inhuman. It contradicts all the values to which we are committed as a country," Scholz said. "We do not accept hatred and incitement without [taking] action. We do not tolerate anti-Semitism."

Hamas, the militant Islamist group that rules Gaza, launched a large-scale surprise attack against Israeli civilian communities on Saturday.

Israel responded with rolling airstrikes on the densely populated coastal enclave. More than 1,200 people on each side have been killed.

It is unusual for such bans to be announced in Germany's Bundestag, or lower house of parliament. Normally, bans on associations are not announced at all and are carried out in parallel with police measures such as raids.

According to intelligence agency estimates, there are about 450 Hamas supporters in Germany, many of whom are German citizens. The country has no official branch of the Islamist group.

Associations close to the movement were banned a few years ago. A spokesman for the interior ministry, which will be responsible for enforcement, reiterated that both Hamas and Samidoun would be banned. "We are preparing these bans very intensively and will implement them as quickly as possible."

In his speech to parliament, Scholz also said that all development aid for the Palestinian Territories was being reviewed - a message his centre-left government has reiterated in the wake of the attack.

"Our yardstick here will be whether and how our projects support peace in the region and best serve Israel's security," he said. "Until this review is completed, we will not provide any new development cooperation funds."

Meanwhile, Israel asked Germany for ammunition for its warships, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday. Pistorius said he will talk with Israeli partners to learn more about the details of the request.

Germany will provide medical equipment and allow Israel to use two drones stationed in the region, he added. "We stand with Israel," Pistorius said, as fighting between Israel and Hamas went into its sixth day.

Pistorius spoke in Brussels, where he was attending a meeting of NATO defence ministers. They were briefed by their Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on the situation by video link, during their second day of talks.

Meanwhile, Lufthansa has so far flown more than 660 German citizens and their family members out of Israel in the first three special flights to Frankfurt and Munich, the German Foreign Office said.

In another report dpa said, Chancellor Olaf Scholz says all Hamas activities in Germany will be banned following the militant group's unprecedented attack on Israel on the weekend, reported dpa.

In addition, the Palestinian solidarity network Samidoun is to be banned, Scholz said in a speech before parliament in Berlin on Thursday morning.

Hamas is already classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States.

The Samidoun association cheered the attack on Israel on Saturday by handing out sweets in Berlin's Neukölln district.

"This is despicable. This is inhuman. It contradicts all the values to which we are committed as a country," Scholz said. "We do not accept hatred and incitement without action. We do not tolerate anti-Semitism."

Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, launched a large-scale surprise attack against Israeli civilian communities on Saturday.

Israel responded with ongoing airstrikes on the densely populated coastal enclave.

More than 1,000 people on each side have been killed.