Scholz "underscored the urgent need to improve the humanitarian situation for residents in the Gaza Strip," his office said in a statement after a call between the two leaders.

"Humanitarian ceasefires could contribute to a significant improvement in care for the population," the statement said.

It added that Netanyahu had "given details on Israel's efforts to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip".

Israel's air strikes and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip have so far killed more than 12,000 people, many of them women and children, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Israel has refused to heed international calls for a ceasefire and continues to target under-pressure hospitals and civilian-packed schools in the strip.

Scholz, who was one of the first Western leaders to visit Israel after the Hamas offensive on October 7, assured Netanyahu of "Germany's complete solidarity with the people of Israel" and assured his country's "unfailing support".

The comments came after Scholz met in Berlin on Friday with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has slammed Israel's assault on Gaza as a violation of human rights and called Israel a "terror state".

*This story was edited by Ahram Online