German chancellor discusses developments in Gaza with Israeli War Cabinet member

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed developments in Gaza on Friday with Israeli War Cabinet member Benny Gantz in a telephone call.

Gantz informed Scholz about the current situation in the besieged enclave and Israel's northern border and Scholz underlined the continued "urgent need" to improve the humanitarian situation for the people in Gaza and to "make every effort to protect the lives of the civilian population," the German government said in a statement.

The chancellor stated the importance of preventing the conflict from spreading regionally and said he is continuing diplomatic contacts.

Since Hamas’ cross-border attack on Oct. 7, Israel has continued relentless attacks on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 21,507 Palestinians and injuring 55,915, according to local health authorities.

An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman revised the official death toll on Nov. 10 from the Hamas attacks, lowering the figure to around 1,200. Tel Aviv has not provided any additional information about the casualties.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine.