According to a report by Reuters on the 17th (local time), citing officials from Israel and the U.S., the Israeli cabinet has agreed to allow the entry of 14,000 liters (approximately 3,698 gallons) of fuel into the Gaza Strip every two days, in response to a request from the U.S. government.
This move is expected to alleviate, to some extent, the humanitarian crisis caused by fuel shortages in hospitals and other facilities within the Gaza Strip.
An anonymous Israeli official stated that two trucks would enter the Gaza Strip daily to meet the United Nations’ demands, and the fuel being brought in is the minimum amount required to support the water, sewage, and sanitation systems necessary to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
Additionally, a U.S. State Department official said that Israel would allow the entry of 120,000 liters (approximately 31,700 gallons) of fuel every 48 hours. This fuel will be used not only by trucks from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) but also for desalination for drinking water, sewage pumps, bread production, hospitals, and more.
The official also explained that fuel for the generators of telecommunications companies within the Gaza Strip would be brought in at a rate of 20,000 liters (approximately 5,280 gallons) every two days.
According to The New York Times, Meir Ben-Shabbat, the Israeli National Security Advisor, told reporters that the amount of fuel entering the Gaza Strip daily, provided by two trucks, is at a level of 2-4% of what had been regularly brought in. He said, “We want to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. If an epidemic breaks out, civilians there (in the Gaza Strip) and our soldiers will be affected.”
Reuters reported that the Israeli cabinet’s decision to approve the fuel was met with fierce opposition from some of the right-wing alliance led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but it followed warnings from the international community about the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
Bezalel Smotrich, the right-wing Israeli Finance Minister, criticized the decision to bring fuel into the Gaza Strip, stating in a release that it was like “giving oxygen to the enemy.”
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