Israel allows fuel into besieged Gaza Strip

Israeli authorities opened the Karam Abu Salam crossing today between Israel and the Gaza Strip to allow fuel into the besieged coastal enclave.

Member of the Gaza gas committee Nour Al-Din Al-Khazandar told Ma’an that the crossing was opened early Friday morning, and that cooking gas, 500,000 litres of diesel for the Gaza electricity company and 200,000 litres of diesel for transport use were allowed in.

The cooking gas crisis in Gaza has been caused by the lack of gas being pumped into the besieged Strip.

Read: Severe shortage of cooking gas in Gaza

Kerem Shalom was opened twice last month to allow for the entry of diesel.

The besieged Gaza Strip has suffered for years from a serious power crisis, which intensifies in the winter when families have to make do with only a few hours of electricity a day.

Even at full capacity, Egyptian and Israeli electricity grids, together with Gaza’s sole power plant, fail to cover the Strip’s energy needs, as a result, the usual electricity schedule alternates eight hours of power followed by an eight hour blackout.

Read: Hamas accuses PA of undermining solutions for electricity crisis in Gaza

The power plant has not run at full capacity in years, with Israel’s crippling blockade severely limiting fuel imports into the coastal enclave.