The first truck carrying fuel into Gaza since the beginning of Israel's war against Hamas crossed from Egypt via the Rafah crossing on Wednesday (November 15) to deliver diesel to the United Nations outposts inside the strip.
While humanitarian aid supplies have been allowed to cross into Gaza - and dual nationals and a limited number of the sick and injured into Egypt - since late October, the fuel run was only allowed at this point of the war as an early fuel run could embolden Hamas to intercept and fuel trucks and use the supplies to withstand a siege by Israeli forces.
An Egyptian fuel truck waits on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the southern Gaza Strip, in the northeastern Sinai province on November 15, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. Fuel that entered Gaza from Egypt through the Rafah border crossing on November 15, was "not at all enough", the United Nations agency for supporting Palestinian refugees said. "This is the equivalent of half a truck! Not at all enough. Much more is needed. Fuel is being used as a weapon of war, this must stop," UNRWA said on X, formerly Twitter.
A humanitarian source told Reuters, on the condition of anonymity, that the delivery was made possible by Israel giving its approval for 24,000 liters of diesel for two days to be allowed into Gaza for UN aid distribution trucks, but not for hospital generators.
"This is not enough for anything - not for hospitals, not even for aid deliveries," the source added. "It's meant to be enough only to bring some of the aid that has been outside - and got rained on for example - indoors to the warehouses."
Two other fuel trucks were on standby on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, but it was unclear when they would be allowed to enter.
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UNRWA: Approved Fuel Run Not Enough
In addition, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) director Tom White said the fuel run would do little to prevent relief efforts in the area, which has already been running on fumes since the war broke out.
"This is only 9% of what we need daily to sustain lifesaving activities," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, also confirming that just over 23,000 liters - or half a tanker - had been received.
"Our entire operation is now on the verge of collapse," UNRWA commissioner Philippe Lazzarini added. "It is appalling that fuel continues to be used as a weapon of war."
Aside from relief distribution, aid workers said that the fuel was also vital for hospital generators, provision of water, sewage treatment, and keeping communication lines open. The lack of such, they added, contributed to what they deemed as a sharp deterioration of conditions for Gaza's 2.3 million residents.
The UN had warned in the past few days that it would soon have to halt humanitarian operations as its fuel stocks became fully depleted. This was in addition to the closure of hospitals and other vital facilities due to the fuel shortage.
UN Asks Israel to Speed Up Aid into Gaza
On Tuesday (November 14) 91 trucks carrying food, medicine, bottled water, blankets, and tents entered Gaza from the Rafah crossing, but the UN maintained that the total supply run of 1,187 trucks since October 21 could only meet a fraction of the strip's needs, with distribution grinding to a halt since fuel ran out.
In response, the UN has called on Israel to open its Kerem Shalom crossing to allow in larger quantities of aid.
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