Gaza Rescue Services at Risk Amid Fuel Blockade

By Staff, Agencies

Gaza's Civil Defense official has called for urgent international intervention to “save the lives of thousands of civilians by pressuring the "Israeli" occupation to allow fuel to be delivered to humanitarian organizations” across the besieged Gaza Strip.

In a statement released on Sunday, Mohammed al-Mughair, director of humanitarian support and international relations at Civil Defense, warned that Gaza’s rescue services face imminent collapse as "Israeli" occupation forces [IOF] deliberately obstruct fuel deliveries needed for emergency operations.

“The occupation is placing us in a renewed crisis that is costing lives,” al-Mughair said.

The official accused the IOF of “deliberately disrupting the humanitarian services we provide to citizens” by preventing fuel supplies for rescue and firefighting vehicles in northern Gaza.

“The fuel we have is barely enough to operate our vehicles for a limited number of missions, which may not exceed this week,” he warned.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs [OCHA] and other aid agencies have repeatedly warned in recent months that Gaza’s fuel crisis, caused by the "Israeli" blockade, have reached a “critical point” and will inevitably lead to further deaths and suffering in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Fuel supplies that power Gaza’s vital services, from water desalination plants to hospital intensive care units are rapidly running out, with “virtually no additional accessible stocks left.”

The health sector in Gaza has already been pushed to the brink under "Israeli" bombardment and repeated displacement orders.

Aid workers and health experts have been reporting a rise in preventable diseases in the besieged territory amid the humanitarian crisis that have engulfed the coastal enclave.

Since early March, “Israel” has enforced a suffocating siege on Gaza, allowing only limited food aid via a US-backed group—often at sites where "Israeli" fire has claimed desperate civilian lives. Fuel remains completely blocked.

The latest warning comes as "Israel" launched a massive ground assault on Gaza City, flattening whole districts and ordering hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee to the south of the besieged strip.

On Sunday, IOF airstrikes martyred at least 90 Palestinians, including aid seekers. Heavy bombing and advancing tanks have overwhelmed southern Gaza and blocked rescue efforts in the north.