German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday to discuss developments in the Gaza Strip, three days after taking office.
“The chancellor condemned in the strongest terms the brutal terrorist attack by Palestinian Islamist organisation Hamas on October 7. He expressed his concern about the fate of the hostages and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said.
Merz expressed hope that negotiations for a ceasefire would soon commence, the spokesman added.
Merz, who leads Germany’s new coalition of conservatives and Social Democrats, also referred to the upcoming visits marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Germany and Israel.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is scheduled to visit Berlin on Sunday. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will then join him on his return to Israel on May 13.
Germany and Israel established diplomatic relations on May 12, 1965, two decades after the end of the Second World War. (dpa/NAN)