Palestinians look at the scene after an Israeli airstrike on a school where displaced people were taking shelter amid the escalating conflict in Gaza. (Source: Reuters)

German government spokesman Wolfgang Buchner quoted Chancellor Scholz as “stressing that now is the time to finalize the agreement on the release of the hostages and the ceasefire.”

The German leader noted that “ending the conflict in Gaza would be a decisive step towards easing tensions in the Middle East region.”

In addition, Prime Minister Scholz also expressed concern to his counterpart Netanyahu that Israel had achieved many military goals in the fight against the Hamas Islamist movement, but civilian casualties and the suffering of people in Gaza were enormous.

Meanwhile, on the same day, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with Iran's acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, affirming Beijing's support for Tehran in protecting "national sovereignty, security and dignity."

During the phone call, Mr. Wang Yi reiterated China's stance condemning the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, saying that this action violated Iran's sovereignty and threatened regional stability.

According to the Chinese Foreign Minister, the assassination of leader Haniyeh has “directly undermined the ceasefire negotiation process in Gaza as well as peace and stability in the region”.

“China supports Iran in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and dignity in accordance with the law, and Iran's efforts to maintain regional peace and stability, and is willing to maintain close communication with Iran,” he stressed.

Earlier, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian nominated Mr. Abbas Araqchi as the country's foreign minister. Mr. Araqchi was Iran's chief negotiator in nuclear talks from 2013-2021.