RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa held talks in Ramallah on Wednesday with Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis to discuss Israel’s war on Gaza and efforts to render a success to a planned peace conference in New York.

A statement released by the premier’s office said the discussions dwelt on efforts to stop “the Israeli genocide on Gaza and the urgent need to bring humanitarian and relief aid” into the territory.

They also explored efforts to ensure the success of a peace conference co-organized by France and Saudi Arabia in New York on June 17-20.

"We are counting on the peace conference to produce practical results and steps to preserve the two-state solution, secure more recognition of the State of Palestine, provide economic and financial support, and support efforts for development and institutional reform," Mustafa said.

“We look forward to a greater intervention from Switzerland based on its belief in the two-state solution,” the premier said.

The top Swiss diplomat, for his part, reiterated his call for “immediate, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access in line with International Humanitarian Law.”

“The need to return to diplomacy is urgent, and a negotiated two-state solution remains the only path to peace, security, and dignity,” Cassis said.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

As Israel has continued to close all Gaza’s border crossings to humanitarian aid since early March, aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among Gaza’s 2.4 million inhabitants.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.