German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has continued his calls for a longer-term ceasefire in Israel's war in the Gaza Strip and greater deliveries of humanitarian aid.
"What must now be achieved as quickly as possible is a longer-term ceasefire in which the hostages are released and those who have died are handed over so that their relatives can mourn with dignity," Scholz said in a government statement to parliament on Wednesday.
The Israeli government believes about 100 hostages kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists during unprecedented attacks on Israel on October 7 are still being held captive in Gaza.
The Israeli military has been pounding the Gaza Strip with airstrikes and an ongoing ground offensive since then, with tens of thousands of Gazans reported dead by the Hamas authorities.
Scholz on Wednesday again demanded that more humanitarian aid be allowed to reach Gaza. Israel has largely blockaded the narrow coastal strip and allowed limited supplies to cross the border.
"I don't want to raise false hope here," said Scholz of a possible ceasefire. "But I do have the impression that it is more realistic at the moment than it has been for a long time, which is a long way from being successful."
Scholz also emphasized that Germany, alongside the European Union and the United States, continues to see a two-state agreement with a Palestinian state as a solution to the conflict.
"It must now become clear how there can be a future for the peaceful coexistence of Israel and a Palestinian state," Scholz said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected that possibility, and denounced efforts by Israeli allies elsewhere in the world to "impose" a Palestinian state on Israel.
Scholz on Wednesday noted that German aircraft are part of international efforts to airdrop aid into Gaza, but acknowledged that those efforts are bound to fall well short of what's needed.
More border crossings must be opened, and aid must also be allowed to reach Gaza by sea, Scholz said.
