Norway to submit UN draft resolution urging Israel to meet its legal obligations towards Gaza
Norway announced on Wednesday that it will submit a new draft resolution to the United Nations calling on Israel to lift restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, which remains under blockade and widespread destruction.
The move follows a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) calling for the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said that his country “intends to follow up on this (ICJ) decision with a new resolution at the UN General Assembly.”
He added that the aim is “to ensure the effective implementation of Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law.”
Norway has been a key sponsor of the UN resolution that requested the ICJ to issue an advisory opinion on Israel’s legal responsibilities regarding the delivery of aid to Gaza’s population, amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.
This development comes as the ceasefire agreement, reached in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh on the 9th of this month through mediation by Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, with the participation of the United States, remains in place—two years after the latest Israeli offensive on Gaza.
Despite the agreement, Israeli forces have carried out airstrikes and artillery shelling, resulting in the deaths and injuries of hundreds of Palestinians.