Acute shortage of foodstuffs in Gaza due to fuel crisis

The ministry of national economy in Gaza issued Tuesday an urgent warning of an acute shortage of basic foodstuffs as a result of the fuel crisis that slashed the number of vehicles carrying food commodities into the Strip.

In a press statement received by the PIC, the ministry called on international human rights organizations to save the lives of 1,500,000 citizens from an impending humanitarian catastrophe as a result of lack of basic foodstuffs and to pressure the Israeli occupation to allow in fuel supplies.

The statement pointed out that a number of storekeepers complained to the ministry that the wholesalers in Gaza became unable to deliver goods to them quickly because they use carts pulled by animals to transport goods.

In the context of fuel crisis, Dr. Basim Naim, the health minister in Gaza, warned that the ministry”s ambulances became unable to transport patients or injuries during Israeli attacks on the Strip because of lack of fuel supplies, pointing out that doctors and medical assistants also cannot arrive at hospitals because of lack of transport means.