ICRC warns of total collapse of Gaza

A Palestinian woman bakes bread despite the power cut and lack of gas in Khan Yunis, Gaza on April 19, 2017 [Abed Zagout/Anadolu Agency]

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned of a massive collapse of the infrastructure and economy in the Gaza Strip due to the lack of energy and the severe shortage of fuel which has reached a “critical level”.

“The scarcity of energy and the severe shortage of fuel in Gaza have damaged all aspects of life in the Strip,” the ICRC said in a statement posted on its website.

A new crisis is looming in the public health and environment sectors because of the lack of energy, if there is no immediate intervention.

“The shortage of fuel and energy has reached a critical level, threatening the provision of basic services, including healthcare, wastewater treatment and clean water supplies,” it said.

Read: OIC manager in Gaza ‘will continue to help the poor’

Israel has imposed a strict siege on the Gaza Strip for 10 years, closing all border crossings connecting Gaza with the outside world and limiting the entry of goods and fuel into the enclave.

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