Foreign Minister welcomes a temporary ceasefire in Gaza

'The agreement will make it possible to send more humanitarian aid to Gaza than before. It will now be possible to send supplies to northern Gaza, where there are still hundreds of thousands of civilians. 

I hope this will give the people of Gaza a much-needed break after almost six weeks of warfare and the enormous human suffering resulting from Israel's military actions.  

It is very positive that hostages will be released from Gaza. This has been a Norwegian demand since 7 October. The release of these hostages will bring relief to them and their families. There are several children among the hostages. There are also several children among the 150 prisoners who will be released from Israeli prisons as part of the agreement. 

We have used our contacts to push for an agreement on a release of hostages and to enable the Red Cross to visit them. We have been in close contact with Qatar, the US and other key countries over the past weeks. We commend Qatar, the US, and Egypt, among others, for the important work in reaching the agreement. 

This agreement is a first step. The scale of ongoing civilian suffering in Gaza is difficult to fathom, not least for all the children affected by the war. More than 5,500 children have been killed in Gaza. This bloodbath is completely unacceptable.  

We reiterate that there are rules in war. The parties must comply with international humanitarian law. Civilians must be protected.  

We urge all parties to honour the agreement. We demand the release of the remaining hostages. The hostilities must stop and the parties must work to secure a durable humanitarian ceasefire.  

We appeal to the Israelis and the Palestinians to find another way and to intensify their efforts to reach a political solution. Norway stands ready to assist.'