In a joint statement issued Saturday, several UN agencies warned that the current fuel shortage in Gaza could halt the humanitarian efforts in the region, possibly jeopardizing millions of civilians.
The agencies, including the World Health Organisation and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, stressed that “fuel must be allowed into Gaza”.
Being the main power source for everything from critical infrastructure to basic supply providers such as bakeries, a fuel outage would “likely force UN agencies to stop their operations entirely”.
The UN has warned that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is currently being exacerbated by a blockade on vital aid, including a prolonged ban on the import of fuel.
On Thursday, reportedly for the first time in 130 days, 150 thousand litres of fuel were allowed into the Gaza Strip by Israeli authorities, which was described as “far from enough to meet the daily needs of the population”.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric reported that UN personnel were denied in a simultaneous attempt to bring fuel to the north.
Dujarric added that out of 15 humanitarian missions requiring coordination with Israeli authorities on Thursday, only six were fully facilitated, with the others having been denied or faced “other obstacles”.
During the UN aid missions last week, five strikes landed near aid workers, underscoring their continued exposure to life-threatening risk and the need for a ceasefire in the region.
Historically, the Israeli government did not allow for fuel imports, with the reasoning that it would not benefit the civilians and end up in the hands of Hamas.
Since, particularly over the last two months, the Israeli government has become subject to a renewed wave of international criticism of the lack of humanitarian aid in Gaza.
The Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, on Thursday, following renewed pressure from Germany and Austria, assured the media that:
Following our dialogue with the E.U., our Security Cabinet made further decisions last Sunday to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza. … And they include more trucks, more crossings, and more routes for the humanitarian efforts.
(Jurists)
