Foreign ministers and senior officials from the Nordic countries have strongly condemned the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, describing the scale of civilian suffering as “unacceptable” and calling for urgent international action.

In coordinated statements, leaders from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland underscored that the conditions facing Gaza’s population, marked by widespread hunger, destroyed infrastructure, and collapsing health services, amount to a violation of basic human dignity.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre denounced Israeli strikes on hospitals in northern Gaza, saying that depriving civilians of life-saving medical treatment was “heartbreaking and completely unacceptable.”

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb warned that Gaza is facing what he described as a “man-made famine,” stressing that aid agencies must be allowed access without restrictions.

The ministers highlighted three urgent demands: An immediate ceasefire to halt the spiraling civilian death toll; Full and unhindered access for humanitarian aid, including food and medicine; Strict compliance with international law to protect hospitals, health workers, and civilian infrastructure.

“The world cannot remain indifferent while children starve and hospitals are bombed,” Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said, urging coordinated international pressure to secure aid routes.

The Nordic countries have traditionally positioned themselves as advocates for humanitarian law and civilian protection. Their latest statements add to growing European and international criticism of the way aid is being restricted and of Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, which has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023.