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Gaza Strip fuel crisis exacerbated by increased demand expected this winter

02.10.08

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Gaza / PNN – The Palestinian General Petroleum Corporation is warning of a worsening crisis in Gaza this winter if the Israeli siege continues. Demands for fuel will increase as heating joins the list of unmet needs in the devastated Strip.

Fuel shortages have already wreaked havoc on the electricity supply, the sewage system, the ability to cook, and the medical sector which cannot run ambulances without gasoline.

Vice President of the General Petroleum Corporation, Ahmed Ali, told reporters in Gaza that the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank’s Ramallah must put pressure on Israeli authorities to end the fuel crisis. Despite the agreement to “calm” with the armed resistance, the Israeli government continues to create devastating shortages in the Strip by keeping the crossings closed, and preventing imports and exports. The Interior Minister in Gaza reports that when the crossings are open they often operate at just 12 percent capacity.

Ali said today, “The amount of fuel entering the Strip is not enough, but is slightly more. This means that the population will suffer from a severe fuel crisis during the upcoming winter season due to the increase in demand.”

The Gaza Strip is able to import a fraction of what the 1.6 million residents need at this point. Ali says that since there exists a crisis now, the situation in the winter when demand increases will be devastating. The Strip’s 1.6 million residents need between 500 to 700 thousand liters of diesel and 100 to 120 thousand liters of gasoline per day.

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