Three suspected members of Palestinian militant group Hamas were arrested in Berlin Wednesday for allegedly planning attacks on Jewish and Israeli sites, German prosecutors said, with weapons and ammunition also seized.

The suspects were "foreign operatives" of Hamas, who have "have been involved in procuring firearms and ammunition for the organisation" in Germany, said federal prosecutors in a statement.

An AK-47 assault rifle and several pistols, along with a stash of ammunition, were seized when the suspects were arrested, it said.

"The weapons were to be used by Hamas for deadly attacks targeting Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany," added the statement.

According to news outlet Der Spiegel, searches were also carried out in the eastern city of Leipzig around the same time as the arrests in Berlin.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt hailed law enforcement officials for "averting a terrorist threat".

A suspect with Hamas connections had entered Germany several months ago and had been under observation since, Dobrindt told reporters in Brussels.

"We are clearly a target for terrorists, which is why we must always be well prepared to defend ourselves against them," he added.

The suspects are accused of membership of a foreign terrorist organisation and preparing a "serious act of violence endangering the state", according to prosecutors.

Two of the suspects were partially identified as German citizens Abed Al G. and Ahmad I. The third, Wael F. M., was described only as "Lebanese-born", as the prosecutor's office said his nationality was not yet clear.

They will appear in court Thursday.

Germany considers Hamas a terrorist group. Its activities and any organisations linked to the group are banned in the country.

The war in Gaza, triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, and Israel's relentless military offensive since have proved deeply divisive in Germany.

Germany, which has long been seeking to atone for the Holocaust and is traditionally a staunch Israeli ally, has seen a sharp rise in anti-Semitic incidents.

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