SAEDNEWS: U.N. agencies sound the alarm as Gaza’s fuel crisis deepens, threatening hospitals, water systems, and food supplies.
Fuel shortages in the Gaza Strip have reached “critical levels,” the United Nations warned, saying the severe scarcity now threatens to further cripple basic services and deepen the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn enclave.
In a joint statement on Saturday, seven UN agencies – including the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Program (WFP), and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) – stressed that “fuel is the backbone of survival in Gaza.”
“Fuel shortage in Gaza has reached critical levels,” the agencies warned, underscoring its essential role in powering hospitals, water and sanitation systems, ambulances, and bakeries. The shortfall, they said, jeopardizes “every aspect of humanitarian operations.”
The warning comes after nearly two years of war that have devastated infrastructure and left hundreds of thousands in need of aid in Gaza. “After almost two years of war, people in Gaza are facing extreme hardships, including widespread food insecurity,” the agencies added.
Earlier this week, the U.N. managed to deliver fuel into Gaza for the first time in over four months. But the agencies said the 75,000 liters brought in were far from adequate.
While calling the delivery a “welcome development,” they noted it was “a small fraction of what is needed each day to keep daily life and critical aid operations running.”
“Fuel must be allowed into Gaza in sufficient quantities and consistently to sustain life-saving operations,” the agencies urged, warning that the situation risks spiraling further without immediate and sustained action.
