– I condemn the destruction of the Shifa hospital. Shifa has been the most important hospital in Gaza, and the destruction is enormous. According to reports, hundreds of people have died as a result of the destruction, and the material damage is enormous.
This is what Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap) says in a statement to Dagbladet.
– Protection of the wounded, sick and health services is a fundamental obligation in humanitarian law. The Shifa hospital is in ruins and, according to Doctors Without Borders, is completely out of business. Large sections of the population have been dependent on hospital treatment, he continues.
– We are devastated
– Totally unacceptable
The Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip has been the scene of fierce fighting for two weeks. On Monday, the Israeli military (IDF) confirmed that they have now withdrawn.
Spokesperson Margaret Harris for the World Health Organization (WHO) states on Tuesday, in a statement reproduced by NTB, that the hospital is completely destroyed and can no longer function as a hospital.
– The reports that twelve patients at the hospital have died as a result of malnutrition and lack of treatment during the military operation are outrageous, says Barth Eide – and continues:
– I also condemn the Israeli attack that hit an aid convoy from the organization World Central Kitchen, which killed seven aid workers. This is totally unacceptable.
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– Bombed apart and together
32,916 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since 7 October – an average of around 184 every day – according to NTB.
– Israel’s violent and extensive military operations in Gaza have led to enormous damage to the civilian population, including children, the sick and aid workers. Norway has been clear that parts of the warfare are not in line with the international law of war, says the foreign minister.
According to the Palestinian authorities, among those killed are at least 13,000 children and 9,000 women, according to NTB.
– Gaza is bombed to bits and pieces, and the population is completely dependent on receiving humanitarian aid. Israel’s warfare, in combination with a breakdown of law and order, makes it too dangerous for the population to get the help they so badly need, says Barth Eide.
