German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday called for a swift ceasefire in the Gaza war as he prepared to visit the crisis-ridden region.
"It would be important for an agreement to be reached very quickly now on a ceasefire that would enable the hostages to be released and at the same time allow humanitarian aid to reach Gaza," Scholz said ahead of a two-day trip to Jordan and Israel.
"We have a difficult situation. It is necessary for aid to reach Gaza on a larger scale now."
A ceasefire was needed that would last "for the foreseeable future," said Scholz.
At the same time, the chancellor again warned Israel against conducting a military operation in Rafah in the south of the coastal strip.
"We are concerned about the further progress of military developments. In particular, there is a danger that a comprehensive offensive in Rafah could result in many terrible civilian casualties, which must be avoided at all costs."
It is important that "a major human disaster does not occur," Scholz said. Many people had fled to Rafah who would otherwise no longer have a safe place in the Gaza Strip, he stressed.
