Norwegian prime minister stresses need for access for UN and aid groups to provide critical assistance.
Norway on Saturday called recent Israeli airstrikes in northern Gaza on some of the few remaining operating hospitals "unacceptable."
"It is heartbreaking – and completely unacceptable – that the civilian population in Gaza, including children, is being deprived of life-saving treatment due to a shortage of hospitals, healthcare personnel and supplies," Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a statement.
He said that hospitals and medical personnel are protected under international law.
Store stressed the need for access for the UN and aid groups to provide critical assistance.
"The civilian population, the sick and the wounded must be given protection, food, and medical assistance," he stressed.
"Furthermore, it is completely unacceptable that Israeli authorities continue to prevent humanitarian actors from accessing those in need," he added.
Urging Israel to comply with its international obligations, the prime minister stressed the importance of ending the suffering in Gaza, stating that a cease-fire, the release of hostages, and access to humanitarian aid are more urgent than ever.
The statement said that Israeli airstrikes on Thursday near the Kamal Adwan hospital, the last major healthcare facility in the area, killed at least 50 people, including healthcare workers.
Israeli forces removed patients and medical staff from the hospital at gunpoint and transferred them to the damaged Indonesian Hospital.
The attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital resulted in the loss of the last fully functioning medical facility in northern Gaza.
Israel's offensive has killed nearly 45,500 people in Gaza since a cross-border Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, reducing the enclave to rubble.
Last month, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Additionally, Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the enclave.
