Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said on Tuesday that the European Union (EU) was very concerned about the deterioration of the security situation in the Middle East.

Finland currently holds the European Union presidency, which began from July 1.

The Finnish foreign minister met Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Helsinki on Tuesday, who arrived here for a short visit.

"The abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit needs to be released immediately and the continued launching of Kassam rockets from Gaza to Israel must cease," the Finnish minister said.

"We are also concerned about the serious consequences of Israel 's disproportionate response. Civilian lives must be protected. The fact that civilian infrastructure is destroyed in the operation will worsen the humanitarian situation even further and cause suffering among the civilian population," added Tuomioja during the discussion with the Israeli foreign minister.

The issue of detained Palestinian cabinet members and parliamentarians was also raised in the discussion between the two ministers. Tuomioja emphasized the need for their release. "The present crisis- and the whole question of the Middle East conflict- will be solved only through negotiations. The EU is assisting in finding a solution to the crisis," said Tuomioja.

Israel warned the governing Palestinian faction Hamas that the "sky will fall on them" if they harm the captured Israeli soldier after a deadline passed on Tuesday for Israel to accept a prisoner exchange.

Three Palestinian factions, among them the Hamas armed wing, pulled out of negotiations with Egyptian mediators trying to end the standoff over the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, a Hamas political leader said Tuesday.

Source: Xinhua