After israel agreed to a US plea to allow limited supplies to relieve a communications blackout that had blocked relief convoys for two days, the first shipment of petroleum arrived in Gaza from egypt late Friday. The 2.4 million Palestinians trapped within the besieged enclave, which israel has been hammering by land and air for the last six weeks, are facing an increasingly dire scenario, according to UN agencies.

The gasoline supply occurred as forces searched Gaza's largest hospital for the Hamas operations headquarters, which israel claims is located beneath bunkers. In reaction to the group's october 7 onslaught, in which it stormed over Gaza's militarised border and killed nearly 1,200 people, the majority of whom were civilians, and took approximately 240 hostages, israel has pledged to "crush" Hamas. According to Hamas, which has occupied Gaza since 2007, the army's air and ground onslaught has killed 12,000 Palestinians, including 5,000 children.

In response to a US request, Israel's war cabinet unanimously decided to "provide two tankers of fuel per day to run the wastewater treatment facilities... which are on the verge of collapsing due to a lack of electricity," according to national security advisor Tzachi Hanegbi.

"We made that decision to prevent epidemics from spreading." "We don't need epidemics that will harm civilians and fighters," he stated. According to a senior US source, Washington has been putting enormous pressure on israel for weeks to allow gasoline in via the Rafah border from egypt, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasizing that israel must act swiftly to avert a humanitarian disaster. israel has repeatedly demanded assurances that Hamas will not divert any fuel delivered to Gaza for military purposes.

According to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), 70% of Palestinians in south Gaza do not have access to potable water, and untreated sewage has begun to flow on the streets.

According to the agreement, 140,000 liters (37,000 gallons) of gasoline would be let in every 48 hours, with 20,000 liters set aside for generators to restore the phone network, according to a US official.

According to a Palestinian border officer, the first cargo of 17,000 litres (about 4,500 gallons) of petroleum for telecommunications operator Paltel arrived at the Rafah crossing from egypt late Friday.

It comes after assistance vehicles were unable to enter Gaza from egypt for two days in a row owing to a near-total communications outage, according to UNRWA. UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said fuel was "critical for the onward distribution of aid throughout Gaza and for the functioning of vital services."
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SIBY JEYYA

18/11/2023 08:00 AM