Fuel blockade puts Gaza’s rescue services at risk, Civil Defense official warns

Gaza's Civil Defense official has called for urgent international intervention to “save the lives of thousands of civilians by pressuring the Israeli occupation to allow fuel to be delivered to humanitarian organizations” across the besieged Gaza Strip.

In a statement released on Sunday, Mohammed al-Mughair, director of humanitarian support and international relations at Civil Defense, warned that Gaza’s rescue services face imminent collapse as Israeli forces deliberately obstruct fuel deliveries needed for emergency operations.

“The occupation is placing us in a renewed crisis that is costing lives,” al-Mughair said.

The official accused Israeli forces of “deliberately disrupting the humanitarian services we provide to citizens” by preventing fuel supplies for rescue and firefighting vehicles in northern Gaza.

“The fuel we have is barely enough to operate our vehicles for a limited number of missions, which may not exceed this week,” he warned.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other aid agencies have repeatedly warned in recent months that Gaza’s fuel crisis, caused by the Israeli blockade, have reached a “critical point” and will inevitably lead to further deaths and suffering in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Gaza municipalities halt essential services amid severe fuel shortage

The municipalities across Gaza a announced the cessation of all essential services due to an all-out Israeli blockade.

Fuel supplies that power Gaza’s vital services, from water desalination plants to hospital intensive care units are rapidly running out, with “virtually no additional accessible stocks left.”

The health sector in Gaza has already been pushed to the brink under Israeli bombardment and repeated displacement orders.

Aid workers and health experts have been reporting a rise in preventable diseases in the besieged territory amid the humanitarian crisis that have engulfed the coastal enclave.

Israel has imposed an all-out suffocating siege on Gaza since early March.

In recent weeks, the regime has permitted limited food deliveries into Gaza through a US-backed group, at distribution sites where hundreds of desperate aid seekers have been killed by Israeli fire. Fuel, however, has not been allowed into the besieged territory for months.

The latest warning comes as Israel launched a massive ground assault on Gaza City, flattening whole districts and ordering hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee to the south of the besieged strip.

Gaza hospitals sound alarms as fuel shortage worsens

Al-aqsa hospital in Gaza strip is running out of fuel as the Israeli regime continues to block the entry of fuel to hospitals of Gaza.

On Sunday, the Israeli regime carried out fresh airstrikes across Gaza, killing dozens of Palestinians, including people waiting for aid. Health officials said at least 90 Palestinians have been killed across the besieged territory so far today.

Carpet bombing of Gaza City’s northern, eastern, and western districts has forced massive overcrowding in the south. At the same time, the regime’s tanks have rolled into densely populated areas, blocking rescue teams from reaching those trapped under the rubble.

Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, ongoing since October 2023, has so far killed at least 66,005 Palestinians and left more than 167,000 injured.

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