German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejected any parallel between Israeli warfare and Hamas' atrocities following the move by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to file war crimes charges against the leaders of both Israel and the Palestinian militants.
"The German government rejects any semblance of comparability in the strongest possible terms," a Scholz spokesman told Wednesday's edition of the mass-circulation Bild newspaper in comments seen in advance by dpa.
On Monday, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and the top leaders of Hamas, including Yehya al-Sinwar, its chief in Gaza.
The warrants relate to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Israel and the Gaza Strip.
Other Hamas leaders named by Khan include Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, commonly known as Mohammed Deif, the head of the group's military wing, and Ismail Haniyeh, who sits atop Hamas' political wing and is seen as the group's overall leader.
The German government has taken note of the accusations made by the ICC chief prosecutor against Hamas and the arrest warrants for their leaders, the spokesman said. "In view of the atrocities committed on October 7, the ongoing hostage-taking of many people and the continuing attacks by Hamas on Israel, this is only logical."
Of possible arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, Scholz said: "The German government has always emphasized that Israel has the right to defend itself against the murderous attacks by Hamas in accordance with international law.
"Against this background, the accusations of the chief prosecutor are serious and must be substantiated.
"Germany assumes that the fact that Israel is a democratic state governed by the rule of law with a strong, independent judiciary will be taken into account."
This can be seen as a reference to the way the ICC works. The court is only able to prosecute if states are unwilling or unable to seriously prosecute a particular serious criminal offence, Germany's Foreign Office says in a description online.
The US and Israel criticized the ICC's move. Neither the US nor Israel are parties to the treaty that established the ICC.
Around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage to the Gaza Strip during the Hamas attacks in the Israeli border area on October 7.
The terrorist attack was the trigger for Israel's military offensive in Gaza, in which, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 35,500 people have been killed so far.