A first fuel truck from Egypt entered the Gaza Strip on Wednesday for the first time since the start of the war between Hamas and Israel, Egyptian state media Al-Qahera News reported.
The fuel will be delivered to the UN "to facilitate the delivery of aid after the (aid) trucks on the Palestinian side are at a standstill due to fuel shortages," an Egyptian source said. The UN had recently warned that its operations in the Palestinian territory would cease due to a lack of fuel.
On Monday, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned of the shutdown of drinking water distributors, depriving 200,000 people of drinking water in the small territory, where more than half of the 2.4 million inhabitants depend on humanitarian aid to survive.
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According to the Associated Press, this would be 24,000 liters intended for humanitarian efforts. According to a source quoted by Reuters, the fuel will be used to refuel distribution trucks but cannot be used by hospitals.
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The Israeli Defense Ministry body overseeing civilian activities in the Palestinian territories (COGAT) had earlier said that UN trucks would be "refueled at the Rafah crossing (between the Gaza Strip and Egypt) at the request of the United States."
"Fuel as a weapon of war"
Witnesses at the border said two more trucks loaded with fuel were waiting at the border to cross to the Palestinian side. "UNRWA is not in a position to confirm this information" about the passage of a truck on Wednesday, Juliette Touma, the agency's communications director, told AFP. "No fuel has entered Gaza since October 7," she said, adding that "if there were to be any changes, UNRWA would communicate" on the matter.
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"It's unbelievable that humanitarian agencies have to beg for fuel," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Tuesday. "Since the beginning of the war, fuel has been used as a weapon of war and this should stop immediately," he added.
In the northern Gaza Strip, where the heaviest fighting is concentrated, all hospitals are "out of service" due to a lack of electricity and fuel, Hamas said on Monday. The UN has repeatedly called for fuel to be sent to Gaza, but Israel refuses, saying it could be used by Hamas for its military activities.