HAMBURG: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said on Friday (March 15) that Germany and Malaysia must both use their influence to reach an amicable solution to the conflict in Gaza, despite their opposing views on the issue.

"What is important is for us (Malaysia), (and) for Germany to use our influence to reach an amicable resolution to the problem. What is needed now is a permanent ceasefire," Anwar said in an interview with the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

In the interview, Anwar credited German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for being "very accommodating" in seeking to understand the position of Malaysia, being a predominantly Muslim country, towards Gaza and the Hamas organisation.

"I don't buy this propaganda. We see freedom fighters," Anwar was quoted as saying about Hamas.

Anwar arrived in Berlin on March 10 for a six-day official visit to Germany.

While it was impossible to erase history, Anwar stressed the necessity now of working on a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

He said Palestinian "lives, their property, their dignity" must be respected.

More than 31,000 people have been killed since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza nearly five months ago.

On Monday, Anwar had held talks with Scholz and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

On the meeting, Bernama reported that Malaysia and Germany had called for a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as well as the release of hostages and immediate humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians.

In making the call, Anwar and Scholz said the international community must also strive for a two-state solution to solve the decades of conflict in the Middle East.

In the interview, dpa also quoted Anwar as saying that more than 700 German companies are already active in Malaysia, including chip manufacturer Infineon. – Bernama/dpa