Israel to resume limited fuel supplies to Gaza Strip

Nov 10, 2008, 21:51 GMT

Gaza City - Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak late Monday ordered resumed shipments of 'limited' amounts of industrial diesel fuel into the Gaza Strip, after six days in which the territory's border crossings were sealed.

Diesel for Gaza City's main power plant would be allowed into the strip starting Tuesday, defence officials said.

A decision on whether to reopen goods crossings had yet to be taken, officials told Israel Radio.

Barak's decision to reopen the Gaza borders to limited amounts of fuel came after a request by special international Middle East envoy Tony Blair during their Monday evening meeting.

Israel shut the fuel and goods crossing points on November 5, in response to a barrage of rockets that followed the worst clash between Israeli soldiers and Gaza militants since a June 19 ceasefire.

Gaza City was plunged in darkness for several hours Monday night, after its main power plant stopped working allegedly because it ran out of fuel.

Residents said they were without electricity from 6 pm (1600 GMT) until shortly after 10 pm.

Hamas Television showed footage of protesters marching with lit candles through the city's darkened streets.

The power outage was the first major blackout since the fragile ceasefire took effect. The five-month truce, which is due to expire in 10 days, has largely held, but an Israeli pin-point military incursion on November 4 and the ensuing rocket barrage put tested the ceasefire agreement. Hamas has threatened not to extend the truce.

Gaza militants have fired more than 60 locally produced Qassam rockets and 20 mortar shells into Israel since last week's military incursion, in which six militants and one civilian were killed.

Israeli troops crossed into the strip to destroy a tunnel underneath the Gaza-Israel border, which the military said posed a serious threat and was dug by militants who had planned to infiltrate Israel and capture Israeli soldiers. Heavy clashes erupted as local militants confronted the Israeli forces.

An Israeli Foreign Ministry statement sent to the media Monday said that Israel remained 'committed' to the truce and 'expects Hamas to uphold its commitments.'

The statement accused Hamas of ordering Gaza's main power plant to shut down unnecessarily for propaganda purposes and 'the benefit of the media.'

The Gaza power plant, which runs on European-supplied industrial diesel, supplies electricity to part of the strip's 1.4 million inhabitants, mostly to Gaza City.

Israel says the power plant only accounts for 25 per cent of Gaza's electricity consumption on average, while the Jewish state continues to supply some 70 per cent of the strip's needs via 10 uninterrupted high-power lines. Egypt contributes another 5 per cent.

'There is sufficient electricity in the Gaza Strip to operate hospitals and other essential facilities. Hamas, as usual, is orchestrating a media show,' charged the Foreign Ministry statement, which had photographs attached of Hamas officials holding a candlelight meeting, while in the background drawn curtains could be seen blocking out daylight.

Another photograph showed demonstrators carrying lit candles, with several lit neon signs and what seemed like shop windows in the background.

Parts of Gaza City were plunged into darkness already on Sunday after the power station turned off one turbine.