The Norwegian government proposed on Tuesday to increase its aid to the Palestinians this year by one billion kroner, or 86 million euros, because the Gaza Strip is on the brink of famine.

This amount, which was stated in the revised draft budget, represents an increase of almost four times compared to the 258 million kroner stipulated in the initial finance law adopted last year.

“The need for urgent aid in Gaza is enormous after seven months of war,” Norwegian Minister of International Development Anne Beth Tevenrim said in a statement.

She added that "the food situation is critical and there are risks of famine," criticizing the "entirely human-caused crisis" and the "critical" situation in the West Bank.

For his part, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide once again warned Israel against launching a large-scale military operation in the city of Rafah, located on the southern end of the besieged Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are gathered.

He stressed, "It will be disastrous for the population," adding, "More than a million people have fled to Rafah repeatedly from famine, death, and terror, and now they are being asked to leave again, but there is no safe place in the Gaza Strip."

On May 7, the Israeli army penetrated Rafah with its tanks and took control of the Palestinian side of its crossing. Evacuation orders were also issued for civilians, and the area was targeted by other strikes on Tuesday.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced on Tuesday that “about 450,000 people have been displaced from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip since May 6.”