Norwegian Minister of International Development warned that Israel is making dangerous precedents for the violation of international human rights law in Gaza.

Norway played a historic role in the region, including through promoting an Oslo peace agreement between Israel and Palestinians, leading to the famous breakthrough agreement in 1993. Last year, it recognized the Palestinian State, which is one of the few countries in Europe.

“Over the past year and a half, we have had very low respect for international law in the Gaza war, and in recent months it has been worse than ever,” Åsmund Aukrust said. “So it is very important for the Norwegian government to protest this and condemn this very obvious violation.”

He said that in addition to contributing to the worsening of humanitarian disasters in Gaza, Israel’s actions pose a global threat to other and future conflicts.

“We are very worried that there will be a new international standard where food is used as a weapon, the United Nations is denied access to war and conflict areas, while other NGOs are denied access,” he said. “Israel is building something they call the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is militarization of humanitarian aid.”

GHF, a controversial Israeli and U.S.-backed logistics group, began distributing food in Gaza this week. In the chaotic scene, Israeli troops said they opened a "warning shot" to the distribution center. Gaza health officials said at least one civilian was killed and 48 were injured.

Earlier this month, an unsupported assessment found that the entire population of the Gaza Strip was at risk of famine, with 500,000 of which were classified as disasters.

"We are scared and very worried that this may be a new standard in international law, which will make the world even more dangerous for us all," Aukrust said.

However, he said that politicians are not deciding whether the term genocide applies to Gaza, which is the decision of the International Court of Justice. "Genocide is the worst crime a country can do and the worst crime politicians can do, and this should not be polarized," he said.

However, he said Oslo will keep the "open line" for all parties, including Hamas, and promise Norway will rebuild Gaza "in the long run".

"We have no restrictions on who we talk to. I will say the opposite. We are happy to talk to those responsible, whether it is Israel, Hamas or others," he said. "Discussion is the most important word in terms of peace and we want to have an open route with all countries and these groups may have an impact here."

The Norwegian Petroleum Foundation is the world's largest sovereign wealth fund operating under the rules set by parliament and has so far included 11 companies to assist the Israeli occupation.

Next week, Norwegian parliament is expected to refuse calls to stop the fund from investing in companies selling products and services in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Ocruz said the decision on wealth funds was made by banks, not politicians.

"Banks decide where to invest. What politicians do is decide the rules," he said, adding that the rules are "very clear" that the fund should not invest in anything that violates international law.

Okros said Norway's decision to acknowledge the situation in Palestine in May 2024 as a "message of hope".

He urged people across Europe to "continue protesting" and maintain their belief in politics. "As long as the war goes on, from the Norwegian government, we will be looking at what else we can do. What new plans can we take. How can we send clearer messages to those responsible for this."