RAFAH, Gaza Strip (NEWSnet/AP) — The United Nations halted its deliveries of food and supplies to Gaza Friday, after internet and telephone services collapsed in the region because of a lack of fuel.
Israeli officials said the country's War Cabinet approved for the first time allowing small, daily shipments of fuel into Gaza. Two container trucks a day of fuel would be let in for the U.N. to use in supporting water and sewage infrastructure, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity pending an official announcement.
[Earlier Report: Evacuation Notices Issued in Parts of Southern Gaza as Fighting Continues ]
Israel has barred entry to fuel since the start of the war, saying it would be diverted by Hamas for military means. It has also barred food, water and other supplies except for a trickle of aid from Egypt that aid workers say falls far short of what's needed.
It was not clear if the fuel shipments could be used for other purposes, including powering the internet and phone network. The communications blackout, now in its second day, largely cuts off Gaza’s 2.3 million people from one another and the outside world — and paralyzes the coordination of aid, which humanitarian groups were already struggling to deliver because of the fuel shortage.
The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, was unable to bring in its aid convoy on Friday, said spokesperson Juliette Touma. With no immediate prospect for Israel allowing in more fuel, it was unclear how long the situation would continue.
Israeli forces, meanwhile, have signaled they could expand their offensive toward Gaza's south even while pressing operations in the north.
Troops were searching the Shifa hospital in recent days for traces of a Hamas command center the military alleges was located under the building. They have shown what they said were a tunnel entrance and weapons found inside the compound but not yet any evidence of the command center, which Hamas and staff at Gaza City's Shifa Hospital deny existed.
The war was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel.
Since the war began, Gaza has received only 10% of its required food supplies each day, and dehydration and malnutrition are growing with nearly all residents in need of food, said Abeer Etefa, a Mideast regional spokeswoman for the U.N.'s World Food Program.
Copyright 2023 NEWSnet and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Leave a Comment