Tanker delivers fuel to Gaza Strip
For the first time since the beginning of the Gaza war, a tanker filled with fuel has entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt via the Rafah border crossing. The truck had arrived on the Palestinian side, a spokesman for the UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) told the German Press Agency on Wednesday. The delivery was made possible after intensive talks between the secret services of Egypt, Israel and the USA, according to Egyptian security sources.
The state-affiliated television station Al-Kahira News showed a tanker truck entering the border crossing with several Egyptian flags on the cab. According to the Israeli Cogat authority responsible for contacts with the Palestinians, the fuel is said to be diesel.
UNRWA leader expresses criticism
The head of UNRWA in the Gaza Strip, Thomas White, was critical of the delivery. "This is only nine percent of what we need every day to continue life-saving activities," he wrote on the platform X, formerly Twitter. According to Israeli regulations, the 23,027 liters of fuel - half a tanker truck - may only be used to transport aid supplies from Rafah. The delivery may not be used for hospitals, for example.
The UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has warned that humanitarian support for the people in the Gaza Strip will soon collapse due to the lack of fuel. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini repeated this warning from three weeks ago on Wednesday. An UNRWA spokeswoman said on Wednesday that the aid organization had not been able to accept any more aid since Tuesday due to a lack of fuel in its fleet of vehicles.
The delivery of fuel to Gaza Strip, facilitated by Egypt and major powers, might help alleviate some of the conflicts in the Middle East, as fuel shortages have exacerbated various issues in the region. However, the UNRWA leader in Gaza, Thomas White, voiced concern, stating that this delivery only provides a small fraction of the daily fuel requirement needed for their life-saving activities.
Source: www.dpa.com
