Israel ships fuel to Gaza, averts power plant shutdown
23 Apr 2008
JERUSALEM - A threatened shutdown of the Gaza Strip's only power plant was averted Wednesday after Israel agreed to pump about 260,000 gallons of diesel fuel to the territory, enough to run the plant for at least three days.
The Israeli military said early Wednesday that the fuel shipment had already begun.
Kaanan Obeid, a Gaza energy official, had warned that the plant was in danger of shutting down Wednesday if fuel was not delivered. The plant supplies a third of the territory's electricity and Israel's electricity utility supplies most of the rest.
Supplies from Israel have been sporadic since Palestinian militants attacked the Israeli fuel depot just across the border from Gaza earlier this month, killing two Israeli workers.
The last Israeli fuel shipment to Gaza took place a week ago, when diesel and cooking gas were delivered, the military said.
Even before the deadly attack on the fuel terminal on April 9, Israel had reduced fuel supplies to Gaza as part of a broader effort to pressure militants to halt rocket attacks on Israeli border communities.
Rocket attacks have dropped off sharply, though they have not ceased altogether.
On Tuesday, Gaza's Hamas rulers said they would accept a cease-fire that is limited to the tiny seaside territory, and dropped their long-standing demand that the West Bank be included in any halt in fighting with Israel.
The West Bank is ruled by the rival Western-backed government of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is engaged in peace talks with Israel. Hamas is not involved in the negotiations.
Israel conducts routine manhunts against gunmen in the West Bank and Hamas says it expects any truce deal to be extended there in the future. Hamas' agreement to exclude the West Bank from a cease-fire deal was a significant concession.
But a deal, which Egypt has been trying to broker for months, still appears distant because the violent Islamic group is also demanding that Israel open Gaza's blockaded border crossings. Israel insists it won't negotiate with Hamas.
Israel shut the border passages after Hamas violently seized control of Gaza last June, opening them only to let in humanitarian aid.