Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that Moscow was not surprised by Germany's defense of Israel before the International Court of Justice in the Palestinian genocide lawsuit filed by South Africa.

Zakharova said: “The German government’s decision to confront the Republic of South Africa in its lawsuit before the International Court of Justice against Israel on charges of genocide of the residents of the Gaza Strip did not surprise us.”

She added: "Germany continues to refuse to acknowledge the Nazi crimes against the people of our country as genocide. Russian investigative agencies have collected a large amount of evidence of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed by Nazi German forces in various regions of our country."

She continued: "What worries us most is the continued revival of German militarism in parallel with the support of neo-Nazism professionals for this phenomenon. This policy will have very serious consequences for Germany itself, Europe and the world."

Earlier, the German government strongly rejected the accusations against Israel of genocide in Gaza, and warned against "political exploitation of these accusations."

German government spokesman Stephen Hebstreit said that Israel is "defending itself after the inhumane attacks launched by Hamas on October 7."

Last week, the International Court of Justice began hearings in the case brought by South Africa against Israel on charges of “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.

The South African legal team pointed out that Israel violated the 1948 Genocide Convention, and that “the Palestinians are subjected to non-stop bombardment wherever they go, and are killed everywhere they turn,” and that “Israel’s actions indicate an intention to exterminate, and this intention is rooted in its conviction that the enemy Not Hamas, but the fabric of Palestinian life in Gaza.”