By Xinhua
Gaza : The Palestinian Popular Committee Against Siege in Gaza on Wednesday called on Egypt to supply the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip with fuel in the place of Israel.
In reaction to the ongoing rockets attacks by Palestinian militants against Israel over the past few weeks, Israel reduced the fuel it sent to the Gaza Strip to a quarter of the original amount.
The Israeli cutoff of fuel had caused a severe crisis in Gaza, where most of vehicles had been unable to run. The fuel shortage had also affected hospitals, as well as the Gaza power plant that supplied 30 percent of the Gaza Strip with power.
Jamal al-Khodari, head of the popular committee wrote letters to the Egyptian diplomatic mission based in Ramallah and the Egyptian Ministry of Petrol, urging them to supply the Gaza Strip with the needed amount of fuel.
“After Israel reduced huge quantities of fuel and gas sent to the Gaza Strip everyday, life was badly affected and the ongoing fuel shortage might lead to a severe humanitarian crisis,” said al-Khodari.
“We urge our Egyptian brothers to immediately intervene and carry out the appropriate fast mechanism to support the Gaza Strip and supply its population so that they can continue their daily life,” said al-Khodari, an independent lawmaker who supports Hamas.
Israel had also tightened security measures against the enclave and considered it a “hostile entity” after Hamas took control of the strip in mid June.