LONDON

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on Monday strongly criticized Israel, saying that the Tel Aviv’s war in Gaza is “barbaric,” local media reported.

He describes the situation in Gaza as both “alarming and dramatic.”

Store emphasized the importance of adhering to international humanitarian law, which constitutes the principles between “humanity and barbarism.”

“When these principles are broken, as in Gaza, we find ourselves in barbarism,” he told VG newspaper.

Store’s comments come amid a UN warning over the weekend that the entire population of northern Gaza is at risk of death because of the ongoing brutal Israeli military offensive.

“When credible sources such as the UN, WHO (World Health Organization), Red Cross, Red Crescent and health personnel we have known over the years send alarm messages - then it is serious,” he said.

“It is alarming when we witness imminent starvation, death and disease among hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in northern Gaza. And it is happening now, in our time. They (Palestinians) feel that nowhere is safe,” Store added.

The Norwegian prime minister will be traveling to Iceland on Monday to discuss the situation in Gaza with his Nordic prime ministerial colleagues, ahead of Nordic Council which will be held on Tuesday, according to the newspaper.

Since Israel launched war on Gaza on Oct. 7 nearly 43,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 100,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

More than a year into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide against Palestinians at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).