Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has sharply condemned the Israeli occupation's reported intentions to annex parts of the Gaza Strip, calling the move a blatant breach of international law and a step toward permanent occupation.

Speaking to Norwegian broadcaster NRK on Tuesday, Eide said, “This is a gross violation of international law that goes against the statements of the world’s highest court that occupation is illegal… But, given the current political climate in Israel, I was unfortunately not surprised. Because it seems that there are no more limits.”

His comments came hours after ABC News reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was considering annexing parts of the besieged territory if the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas does not agree to a ceasefire plan. According to the report, the annexation was one of several options being weighed by the Israeli government amid ongoing war and stalled negotiations.

Foreign Minister Eide emphasized that any such move would amount to more than a temporary military measure. “The reported annexation would be even more illegal because it implies a permanent occupation,” he warned.

The reported plan has sparked international concern, coming as Gaza remains under relentless bombardment and blockade. Legal experts and rights organizations have consistently stated that annexation of occupied territory violates the core principles of international law, including the UN Charter and the Geneva Conventions.

No alternative to two-state solution, says Eide

In a separate interview with The Financial Times, Eide acknowledged the current diplomatic deadlock but insisted that the two-state solution remains the only viable framework for peace. “We are fully cognizant that a state does not magically appear because you recognise it. That’s why we all thought that recognition would be at the end of a process,” he said.

“But we changed our view — and Macron changed the French view — because there isn’t a process. There haven’t really been talks since 2013.”

Eide’s remarks reflect a growing trend among European states to endorse recognition of a Palestinian state amid the failure of direct negotiations and increasing settler expansion in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds.

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On July 25, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would formally recognize the State of Palestine during the United Nations General Assembly session in September, joining a growing bloc of countries seeking to revive momentum toward statehood.

Russia has consistently supported the internationally backed two-state solution, which envisions a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East al-Quds as its capital.

Netanyahu plans to annex parts of Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly considering the annexation of territories in the Gaza Strip if the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas does not accept his temporary ceasefire deal, US-based ABC News reported Tuesday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the internal deliberations.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu is considering a plan to annex territories in Gaza if Hamas doesn’t agree to a ceasefire plan. This is one of several options,” a source told the network.

This comes amid renewed indirect ceasefire negotiations between the Israeli occupation and Hamas, which resumed in Doha on July 6. However, early rounds of the talks ended without any significant breakthrough, according to media reports.

On July 24, both the United States and the Israeli occupation withdrew their negotiators from the Qatari capital, claiming that Hamas showed a “lack of desire” to reach a ceasefire agreement in the war-torn Gaza Strip.

In response, Hamas rejected the accusations, expressing surprise at the characterization and reiterating its commitment to achieving a truce. The group emphasized that it was negotiating in good faith, and said the blame for delays lies with "Israel's" refusal to accept key humanitarian and security conditions.

Hamas surprised by Israeli withdrawal

Khalil al-Hayya, Deputy Head of Hamas in Gaza and a member of its political bureau, expressed the movement's surprise at the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation delegation from the indirect negotiations between the two parties.

Speaking on Sunday, al-Hayya stated, "This withdrawal came despite the progress achieved during the talks and Hamas’ broad acceptance of what the mediators had proposed." He added that the Resistance leadership had used "all its tools and relations over the past 22 months to bring an end to the aggression."

Al-Hayya emphasized that there could be "no meaning to the continuation of negotiations under genocide, starvation, and siege of Gaza’s children, women, and people."

Moreover, he rejected what he called the "absurd theatrics of airdropped aid operations," insisting that the suffering and blood of the Palestinian people should not become "a bargaining chip in the occupation's political games."