By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Wednesday told reporters in New York that the rapid depletion of the remaining fuel stocks in the Gaza is threatening efforts to keep critical lifelines up and running.
Mr. Dujarric said “Israeli authorities continue to restrict the delivery of fuel into and throughout the Gaza Strip, effectively choking off life-saving services for deprived and starving people,”
He noted that conditions in Gaza remain bleak, as Israeli operations continue to have a devastating impact on civilians, with reports of the killing and injury of scores of people, many of whom were just seeking aid.
UN Population Fund warned that 80 per cent of critical care units, including those used for childbirth, risk shutting down at a time when 130 women are giving birth every day due to the fuel situation.
“As UNFPA stressed, fuel for Gaza is a matter of life and death,” said Mr. Dujarric.
He added that community kitchens were able to prepare more than 200,000 meals every day this week.
Spokesman added that this represents an 80 per cent reduction compared to over one million meals distributed daily at the end of April, called it “basically a trickle offered to people on the brink of famine.”
He stressed that in the absence of fuel, cooking gas and electricity people have resorted to burning plastic waste.
“When they do so in makeshift tents, you can imagine what happens with the poor ventilation and the tremendous risks that poses,” he stated.
UN relief coordination office, OCHA reminds that to address the massive deprivation in Gaza, the Israeli authorities must allow in higher volumes of supplies and more varied types of food, as well as cooking gas, fuel and shelter items.
Mr. Dujarric stressed that to facilitate the orderly distribution of aid, supplies must be channeled daily through multiple crossings and land routes simultaneously. This would ensure people that the flow of essential support is steady, sufficient and reliable.
He said the UN and partners attempted to coordinate 15 humanitarian movements inside Gaza on Tuesday but only three were fully facilitated by the Israeli authorities, while seven were denied outright.
UN spokesman concluded that 4 missions were initially approved but halted on the ground, although one was ultimately accomplished on Wednesday and another was cancelled by the organizers.
