FRANKFURT: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Sunday he was opposed to an "immediate" ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as calls for a halt to the conflict multiply globally following Israeli army's bombardments.

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"I freely admit that I don't think the calls for an immediate ceasefire or long pause -- which would amount to the same thing -- are right, because that would mean ultimately that Israel leaves Hamas the possibility of recovering and obtaining new missiles," he said in a debate organised by the German regional daily Heilbronner Stimme.