Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini said that the agency's trucks were not be able to receive aid coming through the Rafah crossing due to the lack of fuel, calling on the Israeli occupation to stop using fuel as a weapon of war.
In a statement on Tuesday, Lazzarini said "The humanitarian response in the Gaza Strip, on which over 2 million people depend, is gradually coming to an end because no fuel has been allowed into the Gaza Strip since 7 October," adding that UNRWA "set off alarm bells over the fuel situation three weeks ago, warning about its fast-depleting supplies, and the impact on lifesaving operations."
"Since then, we have heavily rationed the use of fuel and accessed pre-existing, limited amounts stored in a depot inside the Gaza Strip," he said, noting that he depot is now empty.
"It is very simple. Without fuel, the humanitarian operation in Gaza is coming to an end. Many more people will suffer and will likely die," he added.
"It is unbelievable that humanitarian agencies have to beg for fuel and operate on life support. Since the beginning of the war, fuel has been used as a weapon of war and this should stop immediately," Lazzarini said.
The Israeli occupation continues its intensive and unprecedented aggression on the Gaza Strip, leaving thousands of martyrs and wounded, most of whom are children, women, and elderly. Hundreds remain under the rubble, unable to be rescued due to the dangerous field conditions. This is happening amid a severe siege on the Gaza Strip, power and water outage, and the prevention of the entry of medicines, food, fuel and vital aid. All of these factors compound the complexity and danger of the humanitarian situation for civilians.
