Gaza is quickly running out of its already limited fuel supply and basic food stocks could become scarce, officials said, after Israel blocked the entry of fuel and goods into the war-torn territory amid the war with Iran.
The Israeli Armed Forces closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing airstrikes against Iran carried out in conjunction with the United States.
Israeli authorities said on Monday night that they should reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel to Gaza on Tuesday for the ‘gradual entry of humanitarian aid’ into the enclave, without specifying how much.
Previously, Israeli officials had said that the crossings could not be operated safely during the war.
Gaza is completely dependent on fuel trucked in from Israel and Egypt, and the lack of new supplies could put hospital operations at risk and threaten water and sanitation services, local authorities have warned. The majority of Palestinians in Gaza are internally displaced people following the two-year war between Israel and Hamas militants.
“I hope we have maybe a few days of operation,” said Karuna Herrmann, Jerusalem director of the United Nations Office for Project Services, which manages fuel distribution in Gaza.
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Amjad Al-Shawa, a Palestinian aid leader in Gaza who works with the UN and NGOs, estimated that fuel supplies could last three or four days, while stocks of vegetables, flour and other essential items could also soon run out if crossings remain closed.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the estimates.
The Israeli military agency Cogat, which controls access to Gaza, said that enough food had been delivered to the territory since the start of the truce in October to supply the population.
‘Existing stocks are expected to be sufficient for a long period,’ COGAT said, without giving details. The agency declined to comment on possible fuel shortages.
The truce was part of a broader US-backed plan to end the war, which involves reopening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, increasing the flow of aid to the enclave.
Hamada Abu Laila, a Palestinian displaced in Gaza, said the closures fueled fears of a return to famine, which ravaged parts of the enclave last year after Israel blocked humanitarian aid deliveries for 11 weeks.
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‘Why is it our fault, in Gaza, for regional wars between Israel, Iran and the US? It’s not our fault,’ said Abu Laila.
