Germany offers Israel further support after Hamas attack

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has offered his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant further support following the unprecedented killing of Israeli civilians by the Islamist militant group Hamas, reported dpa.

So far, Israeli officials had responded that they "do not need support of a military or technical nature," Pistorius said. "It is about political support," he said.

Such support was a given, he said. "And as soon as we can give help of a humanitarian nature, the offer is there, but so far it has not been asked for."

Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, launched a large-scale attack against Israel on Saturday, killing at least 1,200 people and kidnapping around 100 others.

Israel responded with ongoing airstrikes on the densely packed coastal enclave. At least 900 people have died in Gaza, health officials there say.

In response to a question about evacuation flights for German citizens from Israel, Pistorius said that "so far, civilian flights are going out again in sufficient numbers."