Norway sends ‘strong’ warning to Israel against military attacks on Rafah

LONDON

Calling the Gaza Strip “a manmade disaster,” Norwegian foreign minister on Tuesday urged Israeli authorities to halt its military offensive in Rafah.

“Gaza is a manmade disaster. Words cannot describe the suffering of the 2.3 million people of Gaza, who have endured extremely difficult circumstances during the past seven months,” said Espen Barth Eide in a statement.

“I repeat my strong warning to the Israeli authorities to refrain from moving forward with such a military operation. It would be catastrophic for the population. Providing life-saving humanitarian support would become much more difficult and more dangerous,” he added.

The minister emphasized that protecting all civilians, and ensuring immediate humanitarian access “is a matter of urgency.”

Rafah’s current population is estimated to be around 1.5 million, and it is unclear where they will seek refuge from Israel's military offensive.

“More than 1 million who have sought refuge in Rafah have already fled multiple times from famine, death, and horror. They are now being told to move again, but no place in Gaza is safe,” Eide warned.

Despite warnings from Israel’s allies, including the US, Tel Aviv insists that attacks on Rafah will continue.

Last week the Norwegian top diplomat urged the international community, as well as Israeli and Palestinian authorities, to engage in political dialogue, including moving forward with the work for a Palestinian state.

More than 35,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and almost 79,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities in Tel Aviv’s war on Gaza.

International organizations, including UN agencies, have demanded a cease-fire in Gaza and increased humanitarian aid access to address medical shortages, hunger, thirst, and hygiene deficiencies leading to diseases in Gaza.

“I wish to stress the urgent need to ensure safe, rapid, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access to people in need in all parts of Gaza. All available crossings into Gaza must remain open so that essential supplies, including aid and fuel, can enter Gaza,” said the foreign minister.

The Nordic country announced plans Tuesday to roughly quadruple the aid it is giving to Palestinians this year, proposing 1 billion kroner ($92.5 million) as agencies warn of a looming famine.

"The urgent need of aid in Gaza is enormous after seven months of war," Minister of International Development, Anne Beathe Tvinnereim, said in a statement. "The food situation in particular is critical and there is a risk of famine.”

She described the looming famine as "an entirely man-made crisis."

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.