Israel to allow some fuel into Gaza Strip

Blair convinces Barak to allow supplies into Gaza; Barak: It's conditioned on Kassam attacks ceasing.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Gaza fuel dark 248.88 (photo credit: AP)
Gaza fuel dark 248.88
(photo credit: AP)
A "minimal" amount of fuel will be allowed to enter Gaza on Tuesday, Defense Minister Ehud Olmert decided Monday evening after meeting with security sources, granting a reprieve to Gaza's sole power station, which was facing closure due to a lack of fuel. The Defense Ministry said the decision to allow the fuel was a response to a request by Quartet envoy Tony Blair, who met with Barak on Monday. Barak conditioned the ongoing flow of fuel to Gaza on a cessation of rocket attacks on southern Israel. All border crossings with Gaza will remain sealed, Barak said, adding that the decision would be examined again on Tuesday. "We are committed to the cease-fire, but attempts to harm Israeli civilians must cease," Barak said on Monday. Three rockets were fired at Israel from southern Gaza on Monday, the last one landing in the vicinity of Sderot during the afternoon hours. No wounded or damages were reported. "No country in the world would accept attempts to harm its citizens," Barak said. In reference to an IDF cross-border raid on a Hamas tunnel last week, Barak added, "Last week we thwarted a strategic terror attack, in which a tunnel was dug towards Israeli territory for the purpose of kidnapping Israeli troops. And since then we have faced [rocket] fire. "We've closed off the crossings, and we are examining the continuation of fuel deliveries in accordance with a cessation of [rocket] fire." Every week, Israel provides Gaza with 2.2 million liters of European Union-sponsored fuel. Gaza gets around 60% of its fuel directly from Israeli power grids, and the remaining 10% originates from Egypt. "The electricity was cut off from 30% of the Gaza Strip after we switched off a 25-megawatt turbine. Two more turbines will be turned off later today if we are not provided with fuel," said Kanan Obaid, deputy director of the Palestinian Power Authority. Electricity in parts of Gaza City was sporadic on Monday after the power station turned off the turbine. Khalil Nahal, a doctor at the city's Shifa Hospital, warned that the lives of patients on respiratory support and infants born prematurely could be in danger if power went off for good. "We have generators but they are not completely reliable," Nahal said in an interview on Army Radio. Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna'i said the power problem in Gaza was caused by Hamas and added that fuel was being smuggled into the seaside strip through tunnels from Egypt. "It is nonsense and it is a pity to fall into the trap of propaganda," Vilna'i told Army Radio. Bloomberg contributed to this report.