Germany's Scholz urges Netanyahu to finalize Gaza truce

German Cabinet spokesman Wolfgang Büchner has said that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz held a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during which he said that the German government "strongly condemns" the threats of Iran, the Lebanese Shiite organization Hezbollah, as well as "other players" to the Israeli state.

The chancellor reiterated that the moment has come to finalize the agreement on the release of hostages and ceasefire in the enclave, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

"The chancellor expressed grave concern about the risk of a growing regional conflict in the Middle East," the spokesman said.

Büchner added that Scholz believes it is now "more important than ever to stop the destructive spiral of acts of retaliation" as well as to reduce tensions in the region and prevent further escalation of conflict in the Middle East.

Scholz also said that "many military objectives in the fight against Hamas have been achieved," while the number of civilian casualties and human suffering in the Gaza Strip "cannot be counted."