Norway Urges Deployment of Int'l Stabilization Force in Gaza This Month

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said an international stabilization force must be deployed in Gaza within this month, warning that the current ceasefire is “fragile” and unlikely to hold for many more weeks.

Eide’s statement comes as diplomatic discussions continue. Earlier, Turkey’s foreign minister confirmed that negotiations on the proposed stabilization force are still ongoing.

The Norwegian minister’s warning echoes growing international concern over the deteriorating humanitarian and security situation in the strip, where recent breaches of the ceasefire and renewed Israeli military operations have intensified the crisis.

Eide met on 25 May with Egypt’s Foreign Minister and Minister of Emigration, Dr. Badr Abdelatty, on the sidelines of the expanded ministerial meeting of the Madrid Group on the Palestinian issue. During the meeting, Abdelatty praised Norway’s consistent support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and welcomed its endorsement of the international donors’ statement addressing the humanitarian emergency in Gaza.

The Egyptian foreign minister stressed that the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is “unprecedented in the region,” noting that suffering has reached record levels since the ceasefire was violated and Israel expanded its military operations in the enclave.