LONDON

The Norwegian foreign minister on Monday reiterated his deep concern over the situation in Gaza, where deaths by starvation have climbed in recent days, saying that air-dropped aid delivery is not close to what is needed.

Air-dropping aid is extremely costly and inefficient; a large transport plane cannot carry as much as a big truck, Espen Barth Eide told public broadcaster NRK.

"It is not close to what is needed," as the situation in the besieged enclave is now "worse than hell on earth," said the foreign minister who is in New York to attend a UN conference on Palestinian statehood.

His remarks came after limited humanitarian aid airdrops were allowed over Gaza on Sunday, followed by a humanitarian pause announced by Israel in several areas in Gaza.

Later, the Gaza media office said Sunday that only 73 aid trucks entered the besieged enclave in the last 24 hours.

Palestinian authorities say Gaza needs 600 aid trucks daily to meet the needs of the territory’s 2.4 million population.

"It is also completely absurd that one needs to do it. It is a small strip of land that is right next to an Israel that is overflowing with food and medicine," the Norwegian diplomat said.

He said there are almost "no words to describe how terrible" the situation is now, reiterating that they want to see a ceasefire, not "temporary breaks."

Israel cannot have veto over illegally occupied land

"Israel, of course, is a sovereign nation with right of full responsibility of its recognized territory, but it cannot have a veto over the lands that it illegally occupies here," Eide said at the UN Conference on Palestine in New York.

"Stop Israel from holding back clearance revenue transfers, stop access and movement restrictions, stop the expansion of settlement activities, which are confiscating land, hindering agricultural activity, and hindering trade and economic progress," he said in his address.

The foreign minister also announced a contribution of 200 million Norwegian kroner (around $19 million) in direct budget support to Palestine, as part of efforts to prevent the collapse of essential public services.

“The Palestinian government is facing an economic crisis that the international community must take seriously,” Eide said in separate statement released by the Foreign Ministry.

“Basic services such as healthcare, education and social protection must be sustained. That is why we are now supporting Palestine with NOK 200 million.”

Eide said the crisis has intensified due to Israel’s continued withholding of Palestinian tax revenues, which has deprived the Palestinian Authority of funds equivalent to nearly half of its 2025 budget.

“Israel is withholding revenues that rightfully belong to the Palestinian people,” he said. “This not only weakens the Palestinian Authority’s capacity to govern, but also fuels instability in an already fragile environment.”

Norway’s total support to Palestine in 2025 is expected to exceed NOK 1.1 billion, he added.

Since May 27, Israel has launched a separate aid distribution initiative through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), bypassing the UN and international humanitarian agencies. The global relief community has widely rejected the move. The GHF is supported by the US.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces continue to open fire on Palestinians who gather near distribution centers, killing hundreds.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.