Israeli allows entry of anaesthetic gas into Gaza Strip

Oct 22, 2007, 13:25 GMT

Gaza City - Israel allowed the entry of 151 cannisters of nitrous oxide for medical use into the Gaza Strip Monday, enough for several months, a spokesman for the Israeli army's District Coordination Office (DCO) said.

The cannisters were transported into the Strip through the southern Suffa crossing.

The transfer came after the de facto Hamas administration in Gaza announced that hospitals throughout the Strip had shut down their operating rooms owing to a lack of essential anaesthetic drugs.

Khaled Radi, a spokesman for the Hamas-led Health Ministry, had said Sunday 42 out of 44 cylinders of nitrous oxide, used as anaesthetic in surgery, had been used up.

He charged that Israel did not allow the entry of new stocks, and accused it of violating international law by threatening the lives of patients.

But Israel accused the Palestinian side of waiting until the last minute to inform it of the shortage for 'propaganda' purposes.

'We don't oppose the entry of medicinal gas, the head of the Gaza DCO, Captain Shadi Yassin, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

'Yesterday we received an approach by the Palestinian health representative. What is a pity is that the Palestinians only informed us at the last minute that there is a shortage, just to create propaganda.'

He said Israel would also allow the entry of further supplies in the future when needed.

Israel 'very much supports' the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip, he stressed.

But while it allows the entry of essential food supplies, fuel and drugs provided by international aid organizations, it has cut off all trade and financial ties with Gaza, further tightening its closure of the Strip after it declared the Hamas-run coastal salient 'hostile territory' last month.

It has however yet to make good on threats to limit the entry of fuel and electricity if near-daily rocket fire from the area at southern Israel continues.