US-initiated fuel deal: Israeli war cabinet allows daily deliveries to Southern Gaza
At the request of the United States, the Israeli war cabinet agreed to allow two tankers of fuel per day to enter the Gaza Strip
For the first time since the start of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on Oct. 7, fuel was allowed to enter the Gaza Strip. Tzachi Hanegbi, the head of the Israeli National Security Council, announced that the war cabinet agreed to allow 2 tankers of fuel to enter Gaza every day at the request of the United States.
Hanegbi said that the spread of the disease in Gaza would affect Palestinian civilians in the area and thousands of Israeli soldiers operating in the field.
"We cannot continue our military action if a humanitarian crisis erupts because of the disease," Hanegbi said.
The fuel will be used for civilians in the southern Gaza Strip to prevent disease and provide telephone and internet services and will be sent through the United Nations via the Rafah border crossing.
The U.S. government has stated that the fuel deal will allow up to 140,000 liters of fuel to enter Gaza every two days, of which 120,000 liters will be used to fuel aid vehicles and other humanitarian efforts, while the remainder will be used to power communications networks.
ISRAEL DELAYS ENTRY OF FUEL
A US State Department official said that Washington is putting considerable pressure on Israel to implement the fuel deal. The official emphasised that the agreement had been agreed in principle weeks ago, but was delayed by Israel for two reasons. He said that Israeli officials had previously told the United States that they had not yet run out of fuel in southern Gaza and that they wanted to see a hostage deal.
INADEQUATE AMOUNT OF SPECIFIED FUEL
On the other hand, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) stated in its latest situation report that 160 thousand liters of fuel are needed daily to meet basic humanitarian needs. This number corresponds to more than twice the agreed amount.
Richard Peeperkorn, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Palestine, announced that more than 70,000 cases of acute respiratory infections and 44,000 cases of diarrhea were recorded in the Gaza Strip.
Fuel is needed to operate the Gaza desalination plant, supply electricity to homes and hospitals, and for sanitation, transport, and communications infrastructure.
Source: Ihlas News Agency
