Fuel Delivered to Devastated Gaza Strip After 39 Days

For the first time since the outbreak of war between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas, fuel has been brought into the Gaza Strip in Palestine.

On the 15th (local time), major foreign media outlets reported, citing sources, that fuel trucks passed through the Rafah border checkpoint, the gateway connecting southern Gaza Strip and Egypt.

The source explained, "This measure was taken to facilitate the delivery of relief supplies by Palestinian trucks that had stopped operating due to fuel shortages." Witnesses near the border area also reported that two additional trucks were spotted waiting to cross the border.

This marks the first time fuel has been brought into the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of armed conflict 39 days ago, following Hamas's surprise attack on Israel in the early hours of the 7th of last month. The Israeli military has intensified ground attacks, entering the Gaza Strip's parliament building previously controlled by Hamas and killing numerous senior commanders.

Residents of Gaza injured by Israeli military bombings are at a hospital in Khan Yunis on the 15th (local time).
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Earlier, foreign media reported that Israel approved the entry of 24,000 liters of diesel fuel for trucks operated by the United Nations within the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

KOGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Palestinian Civilian Affairs Unit, also explained that "for UN trucks carrying humanitarian aid through the Rafah border, refueling will be conducted at the Rafah checkpoint upon the request of the United States."

Until now, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had imposed a full blockade on the Gaza Strip and controlled the inflow of supplies. Even after allowing humanitarian aid to enter on the 21st of last month, fuel was blocked due to concerns over possible exclusive use by Hamas.

Relief supplies prepared by international organizations have been brought in through the Rafah checkpoint since the 21st of last month. It is reported that 45 relief trucks crossed the border daily.

Meanwhile, Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical institution in the Gaza Strip, is currently cut off from power, water, and medical supplies as the surrounding area has been destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. The Gaza Strip Ministry of Health announced that since the 12th, the hospital’s fuel has run out, resulting in a surge of deaths among premature infants in incubators and severely injured patients from the bombings.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.