JERUSALEM, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide in Jerusalem on Sunday to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip, Israel said.
The meeting was held amidst reports of advancement in the Egyptian-brokered talks between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian group that runs Gaza, in order to achieve a cease-fire.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office released a statement saying that Netanyahu and Soreide discussed "bilateral issues, regional issues and the situation in Gaza."
They spoke about the GRM, or the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism, which enables the entry of materials considered "dual-use" for the reconstruction of Gaza following the 2014 Israeli military campaign, the statement read.
The recent escalation started on March 30, with the beginning of the "Great March of Return," in which tens of thousands of Gazans marched towards the fence between the Palestinian enclave and Israel to protest the 11-year-long crippling blockade imposed by Israel. The Israeli military responded with live fire, killing many protesters.
Over the past weeks, the protest has included also helium-filled balloons that set fire to southern Israel's arid farmland.
