Israeli authorities partially opened the Karam Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) border crossing to allow the entry of truckloads of fuel into the besieged Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, after 48 hours of Israeli escalation.
According to Hebrew-language news outlets, following the Egypt-mediated ceasefire agreement between Israeli and the Palestinian factions in Gaza, Israeli decided to partially reopen the main commercial border crossing to allow entry of fuel.
In the wake of the latest #Gaza flare-up, #Israel should stick by the November ceasefire, and:
➤ Allow more goods to enter & exit the Gaza strip
➤ Facilitate the transfer of Qatari fuel & funds into Gaza
➤ Increase work permits for Gaza Palestinians https://t.co/dJweiLbJ8H— Crisis Group (@CrisisGroup) May 8, 2019
Gaza’s daily power demand is between 450 to 500 Megawatts. However, the enclave has struggled for years with power shortages due to limited fuel access and degraded infrastructure.
Sources added that the Beit Hanoun (Erez) border crossing remained closed.
Israel allows fuel into Gaza again – Middle East Monitor Read more https://t.co/QwAyLY34PF pic.twitter.com/10LKy8mtmE
— RTNews24 (@rtnews24en) May 8, 2019
The Israeli escalation, which started on predawn Saturday until predawn Monday, claimed the lives of 27 Palestinians, including an infant, toddler, and two pregnant mothers, while at least 154 others were injured.
Israeli warplanes carried out about 320 airstrikes across Gaza, while over 600 home-made rockets were launched from Gaza towards southern Israel.
(Ma’an, PC, Social Media)
