The Center of Contemporary History at Potsdam (ZZF Potsdam) is shocked and saddened by the terror acts committed by Hamas in Israel, targeting unarmed civilian. It strongly condemns any kind of violence, and as a German institute acknowledges the horrific precedents of antisemitic violence and murder that are part of our own history and that undoubtedly reverberate these days among the Jewish community. We support the right of the state of Israel to defend itself, but also note with grief the civilian victims in Gaza.