UN scores much-needed fuel transfer within Gaza despite hostilities

OCHA said fuel purchased outside must be allowed to enter Gaza to keep life-saving operations going, otherwise hospitals, ambulances, water desalination, phone networks and other services critical to survival will grind to a halt.

UNITED NATIONS, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Amid daily, deadly widespread bombardment and shootings, UN humanitarians said on Thursday that about 280,000 liters of precious fuel were finally transferred to a more accessible location within Gaza.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the United Nations was able to retrieve the highly-sought fuel from the Al Tahreer station in Rafah and transferred it to Deir al Balah. No fuel has been allowed into Gaza for 110 days.

"While this buys a bit of time, it is far from enough," the office said. "To keep life-saving operations going, fuel purchased outside must be allowed to enter Gaza. Unless this happens very soon, hospitals, ambulances, water desalination, phone networks and other services critical to survival will grind to a halt."

OCHA said violence resulted yet again in reports of scores of fatalities and even more injuries, including among those seeking aid.

In another aspect of the logistics front, OCHA said efforts to repair a damaged fiber-optic cable were hindered, resulting in a major telecommunications outage for the third consecutive day.

"Israeli authorities initially approved but then impeded the movement of a team set to identify where the line had been cut," the humanitarians said. "This is affecting central and southern Gaza."

OCHA warned that until the issue is resolved, people are cut off from life-saving information about where to find help, and humanitarian teams are unable to coordinate or move safely.

The office said that since March 1, no shelter materials entered Gaza. While some commodities subsequently were allowed in small quantities, tents, timber, tarpaulins and any other shelter items were prohibited.

"Nearly everyone in Gaza has been displaced multiple times during the war, and every third person has been displaced at least once again since the collapse of the latest ceasefire, and shelter conditions are quickly deteriorating," OCHA said. "Makeshift accommodations are concentrated in bombed-out schools, public lots and urban rubble, often far exceeding site capacity and without basic infrastructure."

The office said that the world body and its humanitarian partners have 980,000 shelter items, including almost 50,000 tents, ready for prioritization and dispatch into Gaza as soon as access is granted.

OCHA said a UN team visited the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, which is struggling to remain operational due to relentless pressure and severe shortages.

The office said the World Health Organization (WHO) was on the team to visit the complex following the arrival of hundreds of casualties, including many reportedly attacked while waiting for food.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus said the hospital was hosting twice as many patients as it can handle. A WHO-supported tent initially set up for pediatric and surgical care was used as an overcrowded trauma ward with 100 beds crammed into a space built for 88.

The WHO chief said the hospital cannot expand its capacity because it lacks ventilators, monitors and beds, as well as the staff needed to run them. The WHO was able to deliver a minimum amount of fuel to the hospital on Wednesday to power backup generators.

OCHA said Nasser Medical Complex is in an area that Israeli authorities placed under a displacement order one week ago. While it was not required to evacuate, access to the facility has been challenging because there is not enough fuel for transportation, and health workers and patients fear for their safety. ■