Current:Home > FinanceU.N. says it's unable to make aid deliveries to Gaza due to lack of fuel -ProfitLogic
U.N. says it's unable to make aid deliveries to Gaza due to lack of fuel
View
Date:2025-04-17 00:17:06
The United Nations said it would not be able to deliver basic necessities to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Friday due to communication collapsing in the Palestinian enclave and a lack of fuel. The World Health Organization warned that the paralyzed aid would mean the "immediate possibility of starvation" for the roughly 2.3 million people living in the embattled region.
"The communications network in #Gaza is down because there is NO fuel," the U.N. agency that operates in Gaza, UNRWA, said in a statement on social media. "This makes it impossible to manage or coordinate humanitarian aid convoys."
"We will not be able to uphold our commitments to provide for the Palestinian people any longer," UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said in remarks delivered Thursday. "I do believe that it is outrageous that humanitarian agencies are reduced to begging for fuel and forced after that to decide who will we assist or not assist, when you have such a large population in a lifesaving situation."
WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain said that supplies of food and water are "practically non-existent in Gaza and only a fraction of what is needed is arriving through the borders."
Israel had prevented shipments of fuel from entering into Gaza since the beginning of the war, saying fuel would be hoarded by Hamas. It then allowed limited shipments in this week for UNRWA.
On Friday, an Israeli official told the Reuters news agency that Israel's war cabinet had approved letting two trucks of fuel into Gaza a day to meet U.N. needs, after a request from the United States.
"I can confirm that UNRWA did not receive any fuel today," Juliette Touma, Director of Communications at UNRWA, told CBS News on Friday.
"We need 120,000 liters a day minimum for humanitarian operations for UNRWA and other organizations... We ran out of fuel, and we need fuel, and we have been forced to beg for fuel for the past five weeks," she said.
On Thursday night, Israel's war cabinet voted to allow the delivery of significant amounts of fuel through Rafah crossing, following direct and urgent warnings by U.S. officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken that any further delay could result in a humanitarian catastrophe in southern Gaza.
The cabinet approved the delivery of 140,000 liters of fuel every 48 hours. Of those, 120,000 liters will be dedicated to UNRWA trucks performing deliveries of humanitarian assistance inside Gaza, as well as desalinization, well and sewage pumping, solid waste disposal, and hospitals operating in the south.
The additional 20,000 liters are for Paltel generators that power cell and internet communications in Gaza. The deliveries will be offloaded at the Rafah fuel depot for further distribution.
Blinken, U.S. envoy David Satterfield and other administration officials have been pushing publicly and privately for weeks for fuel deliveries to begin in Gaza, culminating in an urgent pressure campaign this week when fuel supplies ran out. Blinken called two of Israel's five war cabinet members — Ron Dermer on Wednesday and Benny Gantz on Thursday — to stress that the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza required an immediate start to the deliveries.
Israeli officials had for a time linked fuel deliveries to hostage negotiations, which in recent weeks have proceeded in fits and starts, and which U.S. officials said could no longer pose an obstacle to fuel getting into Gaza.
A small amount of fuel, 24,000 liters, entered Gaza for the first time on Wednesday for distribution to UN aid trucks.
Over 11,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since the start of the war, according to Palestinian health authorities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS News on Thursday that "unfortunately, we're not successful" in minimizing civilian casualties in Gaza, because "Hamas is doing everything to keep them in harm's way."
Haley OttHaley Ott is cbsnews.com's foreign reporter, based in the CBS News London bureau. Haley joined the cbsnews.com team in 2018, prior to which she worked for outlets including Al Jazeera, Monocle, and Vice News.
Twitter InstagramveryGood! (63)
Related
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- 1-2-3 and counting: Las Vegas weddings could hit record on New Year’s Eve thanks to date’s pattern
- Search resuming for missing Alaska woman who disappeared under frozen river ice while trying to save dog
- Kamar de los Reyes, One Life to Live actor, dies at 56
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Man trapped in truck under bridge for as long as six days rescued by fishermen
- Kamar de Los Reyes, 'One Life to Live' soap star and husband to Sherri Saum, dead at 56
- Lucky NFL fan from NJ turns $5 into $489,383 after predicting a 14-pick parlay bet
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- Mississippi prison guard shot and killed by coworker, officials say
Ranking
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Fentanyl is finding its way into the hands of middle schoolers. Experts say Narcan in classrooms can help prevent deaths.
- A US delegation to meet with Mexican government for talks on the surge of migrants at border
- NFL power rankings Week 17: Ravens overtake top spot after rolling 49ers
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- Hyundai recalls 2023: Check the full list of models recalled this year
- The Eiffel Tower is closed while workers strike on the 100th anniversary of its founder’s death
- Search resumes for woman who went into frozen Alaska river to save her dog
Recommendation
This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
Actor Lee Sun-kyun of Oscar-winning film 'Parasite' is found dead in Seoul
Beyoncé’s Childhood Home Catches Fire on Christmas
Kansas spent more than $10M on outside legal fees defending NCAA infractions case
Average rate on 30
She died weeks after fleeing the Maui wildfire. Her family fought to have her listed as a victim.
'Tree lobsters': Insects believed to be extinct go on display at San Diego Zoo
The Baltimore Ravens thrive on disrespect. It's their rocket fuel. This is why it works.