Berlin, May 17 (AP) German officials have condemned the ongoing rocket fire by Hamas on Israel and demanded that the militant group immediately end those attacks.

“This is terror, which is intended to kill people indiscriminately,” German government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reportes in Berlin.

“The German government stands by Israel and its right to protect its population and defend itself.”

Seibert added that it was “tragic that so many human lives need to be lamented on both sides” but accused Hamas of “holding the Palestinian population in Gaza hostage” by launching its rockets from densely populated civilian areas.

Asked about the destruction of a Gaza building housing several media outlets, including AP, by Israel over the weekend, Seibert said it was important that journalists should be able to report from war zones, but again cited Israel's right to self-defense.

Israel has claimed the building was also used by Hamas, though it has not offered evidence. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)