TEHRAN, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for more efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible.

In a phone call, Amir-Abdollahian praised the UN chief's efforts to end the Israeli offensive on Gaza and called for more pressure exerted on Israel against an imminent escalation, according to a statement published on his ministry's website.

He claimed that Israel, through control or closure of border crossings into Gaza, sought to cause another "humanitarian disaster" in the region and render international ceasefire efforts ineffective.

The minister warned supporters of the war about "the severe consequences" if they continue to wink at Israel committing "new crimes" in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, instead of pressuring its leadership to accept the recent truce proposal.

Amir-Abdollahian voiced his support for Hamas's response to the truce proposal and briefed the UN chief on his talks with the Qatari, Saudi, and Egyptian sides as well as Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau.

The top Iranian diplomat said his country would continue efforts to end "Israel's crimes" in Gaza and restore peace and security in the region.

Guterres, for his part, thanked Iran for taking a wise stance and actions to ensure peace and security in the region, saying ever since the eruption of the conflict, the UN had been insisting on its decisive position of achieving a ceasefire and ending the war in Gaza as soon as possible.

He said the UN would continue pressuring Israel and consulting with the United States and other influential countries to end the war immediately and open the Rafah crossing and other key entry points into Gaza as soon as possible.

Guterres noted that he was in constant contact with Egypt, Qatar and Jordan, calling on all parties to focus on stopping the bloodshed.

On Monday, Hamas accepted the Egyptian-Qatari proposal of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza, while Israel said the proposal falls short of its demands.

Israel meanwhile intensified military operations in Rafah and took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, a crucial passage for humanitarian aid entering the enclave and wounded civilians leaving the strip.

Israel has launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, after Hamas carried out a surprise attack on southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people.

Persisting for seven months, the Israeli attacks have so far killed 34,844 Palestinians and injured 78,404 others, according to the Gaza health authorities on Wednesday. Enditem

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