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| - Germany's top diplomat Heiko Maas said he stood with Israel as he visited Thursday, and called for a ceasefire between the Jewish state and the Gaza Strip's Islamist rulers Hamas. "I came here to express my solidarity... Israel has the right to defend itself against this massive and unacceptable attack," Maas said at joint news conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv. Maas is the most prominent diplomat to visit since fighting between Israel and Hamas broke out on May 10. Gaza militants have fired more than 4,000 rockets towards Israel, killing 12 people, according to the Israeli authorities. Israel has responded with air strikes that have killed 230 people, according to Gaza health authorities. Ashkenazi thanked Maas for his support. "No country in the world would accept acts of terrorism and aggression towards its citizens. Israel uses proportionate force while doing all it can to avoid harming civilians," he said. The Israeli military says its bombing campaign is aimed at destroying a network of tunnels Hamas uses underneath residential neighbourhoods and other infrastructure. The impact on civilians in the blockaded Palestinian enclave has been devastating, with tens of thousands of people taking cover in United Nations schools. In Israel, the rockets have disrupted life and sent thousands of people ducking into bomb shelters. Ashkenazi accused Hamas of "a double war crime," saying "they fire at Israeli citizens from within population centres in Gaza, using the entire population of Gaza as human shields." Maas said "the number of victims is rising every day and this greatly concerns us." The German foreign minister had been in "nearly constant contact" with Ashkenazi during the past week, he said, as well as diplomats in Cairo, Doha, Amman and Washington. "I hope that the efforts to reach a ceasefire will also be successful," he said. Maas underscored Germany's support for Israel. "Let me say it again very clearly: For us the security of Israel and the security of all Jews in Germany are non-negotiable and Israel can always rely on that," he said. Maas later joined Ashkenazi for a visit to the central Israeli city of Petah Tikvah, where he was taken to a building that was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza. The German diplomat is scheduled to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah. He has no plans to meet with Hamas, which the European Union considers a terrorist organisation. dac/dv
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