(CNN) – A US State Department official announced on Friday that the Israeli government will allow 140,000 liters of fuel to enter Gaza every 48 hours after weeks of American pressure.
After the Israeli government voted in favor of the entry of fuel, on Thursday, 120,000 liters will be allowed to be deposited every 48 hours in a warehouse in Rafah for use by UNRWA trucks and other things such as water desalination, well and sewage pumping, waste disposal, bakeries and hospitals. The American official said that All in southern Gaza.
The other 20,000 will be used to operate generators for mobile phones and the Internet.
The issue of allowing fuel entry was a major issue during US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s meetings in Tel Aviv two weeks ago, and after those meetings, Blinken said that the two sides “identified mechanisms to deliver fuel to hospitals and other needs in the south.”
For the next two weeks, the United States was pressuring Israel to actually make it happen.
The Israeli government delayed in part because it claimed there was still fuel in southern Gaza, and it also linked the fuel issue to the hostage issue.
The American official said that the United States does not believe that the two issues are related, noting that the Hamas movement does not care about the humanitarian plight of the people of Gaza.
The official added that Blinken on Wednesday called Ron Dermer, Minister of Strategic Affairs and an ally of Benjamin Netanyahu, and told him that “there is no longer time to delay, and that Gaza is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe,” and stressed that “they cannot wait until the hostages are released to allow fuel to enter Gaza.” “Even one week will cost many lives.”
Dermer agreed that the government would vote on the decision to allow the entry of fuel, according to the US State Department official.
Before the vote, Blinken called Israeli Minister Benny Gantz and stressed the need to allow fuel to enter, and the American official described the call as “important.”
The official said that the United States will continue to pressure the Israeli government to allow more fuel to enter.
#American #official #explains #Israel #approved #entry #fuel #Gaza
2023-11-17 22:07:56
