Incoming New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Luxon has backed calls for a "humanitarian truce" in Gaza, the position the country supported at the United Nations.
Mr Luxon's centre-right National party won the October 14 election but is waiting on final results to form a coalition government.
During the caretaker period, the outgoing Labour government consults with Mr Luxon on major matters, including its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
New Zealand was the only member of the "Five Eyes" intelligence sharing alliance - which also includes Australia, the United States, United Kingdom and Canada - to support the call for a ceasefire, termed a "immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce" in a UN vote this week.
The US voted against, while Australia abstained, with Australia's UN representative James Larsen citing the failure of the resolution to "recognise terror group Hamas as the perpetrator of the 7 October attack".
While New Zealand is allied with Australia, the language didn't stop Wellington supporting the ceasefire calls, in another display of its independent foreign policy.
In his most expansive comments on the conflict, Mr Luxon told Radio NZ a ceasefire was imperative as "protection of civilians and humanitarian systems is a real priority".
"We supported the statement that was made by 120 countries at the UN which was very clearly calling for humanitarian truce so that we can actually get assistance and aid to civilians in Gaza," he said.
Mr Luxon wouldn't be drawn on whether he believed the growing civilian death toll in Gaza, including thousands of children, broke international law.
"Those are determinations for ICC (the International Criminal Court) and others to make," he said.
"We expect all parties to be acting in accordance with international law and to demonstrate basic humanity.
"We do condemn Hamas' attacks on Israel. They were barbaric, they were terrorists, they were unprovoked.
"Taking hostages, the use of civilians, human shields: unacceptable. We do support Israel's right to defend themselves."
Mr Luxon has moderated his language on the conflict over the last month.
During the election campaign, and just days after the shock Hamas attack, Mr Luxon said "we stand by Israel" when asked whether it had responded proportionately.
He also took issue with a social media post from Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta, who called for peace without acknowledging Israel's right to respond, putting her out of step with many leaders of New Zealand's allies.
However, days after winning the election, National put humanitarian needs at the top of its response, supporting a $NZ5 million ($A4.7 million) aid contribution made by the government under caretaker provisions.
Mr Luxon said he still had hope for a two-state solution, and war wouldn't achieve that.
"We do believe ultimately restarting the Middle East peace process is exactly what's needed in this region to secure peace long-term," he said.
"No military action will secure that and so that is ultimately the pathway that we need to get to, to get to that two state solution."
Mr Luxon also revealed he had spoken to one of his senior MPs, Chris Bishop, about an emailed response to a constituent in which he compared Hamas' attack to the Holocaust.
"I thought it was strong language," Mr Luxon said.
"It is a difficult time for the communities within New Zealand who have family and loved ones that have been caught up in this conflict."
