No fuel, no aid, no escape: UN agencies warn of looming collapse in Gaza
The fuel crisis in Gaza has reached a breaking point, threatening to bring all humanitarian operations to a halt and endangering the lives of everyone reliant on aid inside the enclave, UN agencies warned in a powerful joint statement on Saturday.
āFuel is the backbone of survival in Gaza,ā said the statement. āWithout fuel, these lifelines will vanish for 2.1 million people.ā
UN humanitarian workers stressed that fuel powers everything from hospitals and water systems to bakeries and ambulances.
Without a steady supply, āmaternity, neonatal and intensive care units are failing, and ambulances can no longer move.ā The fuel shortage, they said, has left Gazaās population ā already facing severe food insecurity and the constant threat of violence ā on the edge of catastrophe.
They warned that āwithout adequate fuel, UN agencies responding to this crisis will likely be forced to stop their operations entirely,ā meaning āno health services, no clean water, and no capacity to deliver aid.ā
Inadequate fuel injection
The agencies noted that for the first time in 130 days, a small quantity of fuel was allowed into Gaza this week. While welcome, the amount ā just 75,000 litres over two days ā is far from enough to meet the daily needs of the population and vital civilian aid operations.
Speaking at UN Headquarters in New York late Friday, UN Spokesperson StĆ©phane Dujarric described the overall situation as ādire and worsening by the day.ā
āEvery day without a ceasefire brings more preventable deaths ā children dying in pain, and hungry people shot while trying to reach the trickle of aid that is allowed in,ā he said.
Life-threatening
Mr. Dujarric also expressed deep concern over continued Israeli restrictions on aid access. āYesterday, our teams could provide hospitals with some of the fuel that came in ā but only in the south. Thatās because Israeli authorities denied our attempt to bring fuel to the north,ā he said. āSuch denials are life-threatening.ā
He added that the fuel shortage also affects water treatment, ambulances and waste management. āAll of these services are at risk of collapsing,ā he said.
Out of 15 humanitarian missions that required coordination with Israeli authorities on Thursday, only six were fully facilitated. Five were denied outright, while four faced obstacles that delayed or prevented delivery.
One mission, to rescue injured people trapped under rubble in Gaza City, was only approved two days after the initial request ā too late to save lives. āBy the time the mission was finally allowed through yesterday, no one was found alive,ā Dujarric said.
On top of this, essential items like tents and shelter materials have been blocked from entering Gaza for over four months, leaving thousands exposed to the elements.
Close call
Aid workers are also at risk. āFive strikes landed just a few hundred metres from where aid workers were operating this week, including UN staff,ā Mr. Dujarric said. No injuries were reported, but several Red Crescent workers were shot while attempting to assist an injured colleague.
UN agencies are calling for the immediate and consistent delivery of fuel at scale, and for full, safe access to all parts of Gaza. āThe urgency of this moment cannot be overstated,ā they said. āWithout fuel, Gaza faces a complete collapse of humanitarian efforts.ā
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