Israel-Hamas War: Fuel shortages will halt Gaza aid operations, says US

• UN agency in Gaza faces shutdown within 24 hours without fuel
• UNRWA warns of dire consequences for Gaza civilians
• Israel refuses fuel entry over concerns of militant use

The primary United Nations agency operating in Gaza has stated that it will be forced to cease its humanitarian operations within the next 24 hours unless fuel is delivered.

This would, according to the organization, constitute the termination of a crucial source of support for the local population.

While some aid, such as food, water, and medicine, has managed to enter Gaza from Egypt, fuel has not been part of these deliveries.

Israel has declined to permit fuel into Gaza since the violent attack by Hamas on October 7, asserting concerns that it would be used by the militant group to further its hostilities against Israel.

Asked how long the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) could last without fuel, spokesperson Tamara Alrifai told media: “We’re probably talking a day. We have already warned that if fuel runs out by tonight or tomorrow, we as UNWRA, the largest UN agency in Gaza, will no longer be able to work.” The organization initially said it would have to halt operations Wednesday evening.

UN officials warned the current supplies were “a drop in the ocean” for the needs of 2 million Palestinians living in Gaza and will be of little use without the fuel needed to collect and distribute the aid.

“Without fuel, aid cannot be delivered, hospitals will not have power, and drinking water cannot be purified or even pumped,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the UN Security Council Tuesday.

Doctors in overwhelmed hospitals, teetering on the verge of closure, have issued repeated warnings that without the delivery of fuel, there is a grave risk of fatalities among new patients injured in the daily bombings and infants relying on oxygen supplies.

These warnings from high-ranking UN officials follow Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, resulting in the highest daily death toll of more than 700 people in a 24-hour period, marking the deadliest day since the Israeli strikes began targeting what it termed as Hamas locations in Gaza two and a half weeks ago, as reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah on Tuesday.

Juliette Touma, the Director of Communications for UNRWA, informed media that the agency is providing shelter to approximately 600,000 individuals throughout Gaza, emphasizing that UNRWA is their sole source of support.

Tom White, the UNRWA director for Gaza, told CNN that aid workers are faced with the daunting task of determining which life-saving aid they can and cannot offer to the civilian population.

“Do we provide fuel for desalination plants for drinking water? Can we provide fuel to hospitals? Can we provide the essential fuel that is currently producing the bread that is feeding people in Gaza?” he said.

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