Norwegian PM calls for humanitarian pause in Gaza

Norway supports the two-state solution to solve conflicts between Hamas and Israel, and calls for a humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store has said, reported Xinhua.

Store made the statement during a telephone talk with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi over the intensifying situation in Gaza on Saturday night.

According to a press release issued by the Prime Minister's Office on Sunday, Store underscored the imperative to avert an escalation of hostilities between Hamas and Israel and called upon Iran to assist in preventing such an outcome.

He conveyed his deep concern for the humanitarian conditions in Gaza, especially the plight of civilians struggling with scarcity of essentials like food, medicine, and fuel. "Norway supports a humanitarian pause (in Gaza). The humanitarian needs are very great," the prime minister said.

The conflict in the Middle East cannot be resolved militarily and the two-state solution must again be on the table, he said. "We have to think about what comes next, diplomatic initiatives and solutions are necessary."

According to a statement published on the website of the Iranian president's office on Sunday, Raisi said the killing of civilians, particularly children, is "ghastly," denouncing it as "a flagrant instance of crime against humanity."

Raisi also called for stopping the war and killing of civilians in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible and making international efforts to allow the inflow of more humanitarian aid into the region.