Israel must withdraw its troops from Gaza

“The Israeli ground offensive in Gaza constitutes a dramatic escalation of the conflict. Norway strongly condemns any form of warfare that causes severe civilian suffering, and calls on Israel to withdraw its forces immediately,” Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said.  

“The protracted bombing of the densely populated Gaza Strip, now followed by a full military ground operation, is hitting a civilian population that is unable to defend itself and unable to flee. Gaza is the world’s most densely populated area, and the effects of a ground invasion on a long-suffering civilian population that has endured a strict closure regime for many years, and now many days of military attacks, will be extremely grave,” Mr Støre added.  

“Hamas, for its part, must stop its rocket attacks against Israel immediately. The war that is now unfolding has a single victim: the civilian population on both sides,” the Foreign Minister said.  

“There is no military solution to this conflict. Pressure must be put on the parties to enter into a new ceasefire. The Security Council and regional actors must unite behind an unambiguous call to halt the military hostilities and a plan for achieving lasting peace,” Mr Støre said.