BERLIN: German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Friday welcomed a ceasefire brokered between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian movement which controls the Gaza Strip, after 11 days of deadly fighting.

"Good that there is now a ceasefire," Maas tweeted, a day after he visited Israel and Ramallah for talks. "Now we have to deal with the causes, rebuild trust and find a solution to the Middle East conflict," he said.