Putting pressure on Israel alone to end the violence in Gaza will not stop the death toll rising, says Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully.
About 550 Palestinians have been killed since Israel attacked the Gaza Strip on 27 December in an attempt to end rocket attacks by Hamas.
Mr McCully says favouring one point of view will do nothing to end the bloodshed. He said taking sides does not help achieve a lasting settlement.
Labour deplores death toll
The Labour Party leader has deplored the increasing death toll. Phil Goff says the toll of dead and injured is overwhelmingly of civilians and neither Hamas nor the Israeli forces can escape condemnation for their actions.
Mr Goff says the best prospect for finding a solution remains an international agreement to end the conflict and finding a way to improve the living conditions of those in Gaza.
