Berlin/IBNS: Robert Habeck, the Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister for Germany, declared Saturday that the attack on Israel by the Palestinian Hamas organization was an act of war against the "civilized world" and that the movement itself needed to be crushed.

"Basically, Hamas must be destroyed because it destroyed the peace process in the Middle East," Habeck was quoted as saying by Welt.

According to Habeck, the establishment of two nations is the appropriate political resolution to the issue since Palestinians have the right to establish their own nation. Nevertheless, the minister said such a choice is not in Hamas' best interests.

"They [Hamas] are not fighting for the Palestinian people to have their own state. They are fighting for a war. They want to start a war and destroy Israel, which, of course, will not happen, but it will bring unbearable suffering to their own population," Habeck said.

Hamas is trying to mislead others by presenting its actions as a "political proposal," the minister added.

"This is not a political proposal; it is a declaration of war on the civilised world," he said.

On October 7, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack on Israel from Gaza, breaching the border and causing casualties. Israel responded with airstrikes and a blockade of Gaza, leading to a ground incursion on October 27.

The conflict resulted in significant casualties on both sides, with deaths of around 1,400 people in Israel and over 9,000 in the Gaza Strip

This raised concerns about wider regional involvement, particularly from Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

(with UNI/Sputnik inputs)