Minister of International Development: Complete breakdown in Gaza
News story | Date: 11/11/2024 | Ministry of Foreign Affairs
‘Over the past year, the people living in Gaza have suffered enormously and we are now seeing a complete breakdown of Gazan society. More than 43 000 people have been killed. Entire families have been wiped out. Some 60 000 children are acutely undernourished. Cities have been reduced to rubble. Roughly 2 million people are internally displaced. Sick and injured do not get the help and the medical assistance they need,‘ said Minister of International Development Anne Beathe Tvinnereim.
The IPC Famine Review Committee says that there is a strong likelihood that famine is imminent in areas within northern Gaza. The food system is Gaza has collapsed. The number of aid shipments is lower than at any time since October 2023. The prices on food, diapers and fuel have increased dramatically.
‘The situation we are seeing, with Gaza on the brink of a famine, is completely man-made. The 60 000 children who are now acutely undernourished could be helped and could survive if the UN is allowed to do its job. Regardless of the ongoing conflict between the parties, Israel has an obligation to enable food and medicine to reach the civilian population in Gaza,‘ said Ms Tvinnereim.
The brutal terrorist attack by Hamas on 7 October 2023 and Israel’s response has created a catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.
For more than a year, the 2.2 million people living in Gaza have been caught up in the hostilities between Hamas and Israel. The warfare in Gaza has involved arbitrary and disproportionate attacks and steps that have prevented the population from receiving humanitarian assistance. The Israeli authorities are still denying Gazans access to food and emergency aid to a large extent. The starvation of a civilian population is in violation of the laws of war.
‘The people of Gaza will have to live with the ramifications of the war for generations to come. They will have to live with their grief and trauma. We urge Israel to respect the laws of war and to ensure that the civilian population, the sick and the wounded have access to the protection, food and the medical care they need. To end the suffering, the parties must resume negotiations on a ceasefire, the release of the hostages and increased humanitarian assistance to the population of Gaza,‘ said Ms Tvinnereim.
Since October 2023, the Netanyahu Government has made it increasingly difficult for UNRWA and other aid organisations, the lifeline for the people of Gaza, to carry out their work. On 28 October, the Israeli parliament passed a law that, in practice, will prevent UNRWA from working in Palestine.
Norway asks the UN General Assembly to request The International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an advisory opinion on Israel's obligations to facilitate humanitarian assistance and other kinds of aid to the Palestinian population, delivered by international organisations, including the UN, and states.
‘With this resolution, Norway aims to affirm that no country is exempt from its international legal obligations. We observe similar trends in other conflict areas, where leaders are attempting to undermine international humanitarian law and delivery of assistance. This development must be stopped,‘ said Tvinnereim.