Gaza war
Tank truck delivers fuel in Gaza Strip
Trucks of an aid convoy at the Rafah border crossing. A tanker truck with fuel entered the Gaza Strip for the first time. (Symbolic image) photo
© Sayed Hassan/dpa
The first tanker truck drove into the Gaza Strip with diesel. However, there are apparently strict regulations regarding its use. Because of the fuel shortage, there is concern about a lack of clean water.
For the first time since the beginning of the Gaza war, a tanker filled with fuel arrived from Egypt via the Rafah border crossing Entered Gaza Strip. The truck arrived on the Palestinian side, a spokesman for the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA told the German Press Agency. The delivery was made possible after intensive discussions between the secret services of Egypt, Israel and the USA, Egyptian security circles said.
The state-affiliated television station Al-Kahira News showed a tanker truck entering the border crossing with several Egyptian flags on the driver’s cab. According to the Israeli Cogat authority, which is responsible for contacts with the Palestinians, the fuel is said to be diesel.
UNRWA-Leter is critical
The head of UNRWA in the Gaza Strip, Thomas White, was critical of the delivery. “This is just nine percent of what we need every day to continue life-saving activities,” he wrote on the platform X, formerly Twitter. According to Israel’s specifications, the 23,027 liters of fuel – half a tanker truck – could only be used to transport aid supplies from Rafah. The delivery may not be used for hospitals, for example.
The UN Palestinian agency UNRWA has warned that humanitarian support to the people of the Gaza Strip will soon collapse due to a lack of fuel. UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini reiterated this warning from three weeks ago. A UNRWA spokeswoman said today the agency had been unable to accept relief supplies since Tuesday due to a lack of fuel in its vehicle fleet.
UNRWA warns of acute water shortages
There are also warnings of an acute shortage of clean water in the Gaza Strip. “By the end of this day, around 70 percent of the people of Gaza will not have clean water,” said Lazzarini. Central supply facilities such as water desalination and wastewater treatment plants have been discontinued.
According to the UN, almost 1.6 of the approximately 2.3 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip have been displaced since the Israeli attacks began on October 7th. With its attacks, Israel is reacting to the unprecedented terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas in southern Israel, which left around 1,200 dead. The terrorists also kidnapped around 240 people into the Gaza Strip. Israel also tightened the blockade over the coastal area.