Israel allows two fuel trucks a day into Gaza
Israel’s war cabinet has agreed to allow two fuel trucks to enter into Gaza, Reuters reports.
On the 17th of November, Israel’s national security adviser confirmed the decision, which came following a request from Washington.
The Israeli official said that 140,000 litres of fuel would be allowed into Gaza every two days, an amount which would only give “very minimal” support for water, sewage and sanitary systems.
As a result of Israel imposing a complete blockade, preventing any goods or humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, the besieged strip has been facing acute shortages.
Read: Blinken addresses dissent by State Department workers over Gaza
The cabinet’s decision comes after the UN warned that the shortages had halted aid deliveries and put people at risk of starvation.
The situation is especially difficult at the Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest in Gaza, where thousands of people, including wounded patients and premature babies, are inside.
Speaking to Reuters, a U.S. State Department official said that Israel had committed to allowing in 120,000 litres of fuel every 48 hours. This would allow United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) aid delivery trucks to keep moving, as well as other needs like the desalinisation of water sewage pumping bakeries and hospitals in the South of Gaza.
On the 15th of November, Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that the fuel shortage risked a humanitarian catastrophe among the 2.3 million residents of Gaza.
Since the conflict began on October 7, at least 12,000 Palestinians, including 5,000 children, have been killed in the Israeli strikes on Gaza.
Reuters/AFP
