German, Egyptian leaders discuss humanitarian crisis in Gaza

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has discussed the humanitarian efforts for Gaza in a phone call today with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, a government spokesman said on Monday.

"The Chancellor and the President agreed that in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, there is an urgent need to significantly improve access for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip," German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement.

He also underlined that "the protection of civilians in this conflict must also be significantly improved."

Hebestreit said Chancellor Scholz and Egyptian President al-Sisi also discussed diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict and revive talks for a political settlement.

"Chancellor Scholz reiterated that the German government believes that a two-state solution is the right prospect for Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace and security," he said.

"The Chancellor thanked President Al-Sisi for the important mediating role that Egypt is playing," Hebestreit added.

Israel's military offensive in Gaza after a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 killed more than 26,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and destroyed vast amounts of civilian infrastructure, and displaced millions amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.