“Israel agrees to supply fuel to Gaza in response to international pressure”

Britain’s Reuters and others reported that Israel’s war cabinet, unable to withstand pressure from the United States, agreed to provide regular fuel supplies to the Palestinian Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip became the target of Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes triggered by a surprise attack by the Palestinian armed political faction Hamas on the 7th of last month, and all supply routes were blocked, leaving the Gaza Strip without fuel to maintain social infrastructure such as water supply, sewerage, and communications. Citing anonymous Israeli and U.S. officials, Reuters reported on the 17th (local time) that 140,000 liters of water are supplied to the Gaza Strip every two days. decided to bring in fuel It was reported that it was done. Of these, 120,000 liters will be used for water supply and sewerage and hospital facilities in the southern Gaza Strip, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) trucks that deliver relief supplies, and 20,000 liters will be supplied to the generators of Paltel, a telecommunications company in the region. Reuters explained that this support was achieved thanks to pressure from the international community, led by the United States, despite opposition from members of the right-wing coalition led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The U.S. State Department reported that Secretary of State Tony Blinken warned Israeli leadership that “the 2.3 million people in Gaza could face disaster due to fuel depletion.” The Israeli side also said, “This is a decision to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.” However, there is still opposition, with Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, an extreme right-wing member of the coalition cabinet, making a statement saying, “This is providing oxygen to the enemy.” USA Axios PressLooking at , Israel wanted to use the allowance of fuel supply as a condition of trading with its hostages held by Hamas, but the Biden administration put pressure on it, saying, ‘We cannot afford to wait while people in Gaza are dying.’ Although it is a decision that may give us some breathing room, the concerns of the international community still remain. UNRWA said in a recent report that “minimum 160,000 liters per day“We need a lot of fuel,” he claimed. This is more than twice the amount of supply agreed upon this time. The World Health Organization (WHO) also announced that there are serious concerns about health and hygiene, with more than 70,000 cases of respiratory infections in the Gaza Strip. Reporter Park Kang-soo turner@hani.co.kr