By NNN-IRNA
London, UK : The British government Friday finally broke its silence over Israel’s reduction of fuel supplies to Palestinians living in Gaza.
“The resulting power cuts had left vital infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, water and sewage systems, as well as households, reliant on backup generators,” Foreign Secretary David Miliband and International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said.
“This further aggravated the already difficult humanitarian situation in Gaza,” the two cabinet ministers said in a written joint statement.
Reports have indicated that the Gaza Power Station had cut electricity production by 30 per cent because the reductions in industrial diesel supplies since October have left reserves near exhaustion.
The criticism comes after the British government also broke its silence over continuing Israeli raids into Gaza since the signing of the Annapolis agreement in the US in November, while chastising the latest killings of Palestinian civilians.
“The deaths and injury of a number of Palestinian civilians as a result of recent Israeli military incursions into Gaza risks undermining efforts to build confidence and give momentum to the peace process following Annapolis,” Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells warned.
Israel’s reduction of fuel supplies comes after its security cabinet voted to declare the Gaza a ‘hostile territory’, in September.
It also plans to start reducing electricity supplies to Gaza but is facing an appeal before the Supreme Court.
The supply of clean drinking water and sewerage systems in Gaza also rely on electricity, with cuts expected due to Israel’s tactics.
Miliband and Alexander said that they continue to be “deeply concerned by the growing humanitarian impact of restrictions” on industrial diesel supplies to Gaza, particularly on the most vulnerable sections of the population.
While saying they welcomed Israel’s recent decision to increase the supply of industrial diesel, they said they were continuing to urge them to lift all restrictions on fuel with immediate effect.