German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has said that a further escalation of the war in Gaza must be prevented.
Pistorius said he agreed with UN Secretary General António Guterres, whom he held talks with in New York earlier on Wednesday, that everything must be done to alleviate the misery of Palestinian civilians.
"At the same time, I also know that the Israeli dilemma is great: to do what is necessary and what they have a right to do, and at the same time not to allow the suffering of the civilian population to become excessive," Pistorius said at the UN headquarters.
Pistorius said "diplomacy and open dialogue" were critical.
Following the advance of Israeli units in eastern Rafah on Tuesday night, it was feared that a major ground offensive against Hamas militants could soon be under way in the southern Gaza city, where more than 1 million internally displaced Palestinians are living.
The Israeli military had called on residents of the eastern part of Rafah to leave the area on Monday. Israel's critics and allies worry an all-out offensive there could have devastating consequences.
On his North American trip, Pistorius was scheduled meet his US counterpart Lloyd Austin in Washington on Thursday and Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair in Ottawa on Friday.
