BERLIN, July 13. /TASS/. The current situation in the Gaza Strip unacceptable, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, adding he had been unhappy with Israel's actions in the enclave for several weeks.

"I don't like what the Israeli government has been doing in the Gaza Strip for many weeks," Merz said in an interview with ARD TV channel. He said he had discussed the situation several times with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"I hope that we, Europeans, together with the Americans, will be able to find a solution that will eventually lead to a two-state solution [to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict]."

The Palestinians, he said, have the right to a place where they can live. "The current situation in the Gaza Strip is unacceptable," Merz concluded.

On May 18, Israel started hostilities in the northern and southern regions of the Gaza Strip as part of the large-scale ground operation Gideon's Chariots with the goal of a final defeat of Hamas and a release of all Israeli hostages held in the enclave. Netanyahu said that after the operation the army plans to take control of the entire Gaza Strip.