Oslo: Norway on Tuesday welcomed the UN Security Council's resolution endorsing a ceasefire and a 20-point plan for peace in Gaza, while calling for immediate progress into the initiative's next stage. Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide expressed that the council's approval was a 'welcome' development but emphasized that the momentum must not be lost.

According to Anadolu Agency, the UN Security Council on Monday adopted a US-drafted resolution establishing a transitional Board of Peace (BoP) and authorizing International Stabilization Forces (ISF) to oversee governance, reconstruction, and security efforts in the Gaza Strip. The resolution received 13 votes in favor, with Russia and China abstaining, and it authorizes the ISF and the Board of Peace until December 31, 2027.

Eide highlighted the necessity of moving into phase two of the plan, stating on the US social media platform X that it is 'essential now to move into phase two of the plan.' He further added that Norway will continue its efforts towards 'a unified Palestinian state, governed by Palestinians.'

Since October 2023, nearly 69,500 Palestinians have been killed - mostly women and children - and more than 170,700 wounded in Israel's war that has left much of the enclave in ruins.