A 14-year-old Norwegian girl trapped in the Gaza strip has surprised foreign minister Espen Barth Eide on his visit to the region, begging him to lobby Israel to let her return home.
Mariam al-Najjar was on holiday visiting family this summer when Egypt's government was overthrown by a military coup, since when she, and 75 other Norwegian citizens, have not been able to cross the border into either Egypt or Israel.
"I want to learn at school in Norway, because the school system is much better there than here," Mariam told the foreign minister.
Eide said he would try to help, but could not promise a solution.
"It's a very good illustration of what happened to very many people here. They come here on holiday, but can not come out again," he said. "It's a hopeless situation."