Norway joins the EU and the UN in condemning the Israeli attack which killed 18 civilian Palestinians in their own homes on Wednesday, said reports from Oslo on Thursday.

Norwegian Foreign Minster Jonas Gahr Stoere, who was visiting Israel during the attack, had talks with his Israeli counterpart on Wednesday.

"We condemn the Israeli attacks in the Gaza strip in which 18 people were killed," Stoere said at the end of his mideast tour, quoted by Norwegian Broadcasting.

"Israel has the right to defend itself, but we condemn a military operation which in our opinion is not in proportion to the challenge facing Israel. This is destructive with regard to civilian and Palestinian infrastructure," the Norwegian Foreign Minister said.

"As the strong part, Israel is behaving in a way which is just deepening the problems. They must stand responsible for their acts, " Stoere said.

Source: Xinhua