Ambulances in Gaza Run out of Fuel Creating Humanitarian Crisis

Hizma checkpoint (19 July, 2007)- 11 year old Palestinian girl, suffering from cancer of the liver, accompanied by her mother. She is being transferred from Nablus to Augusta Victoria hospital. The Red Crescent ambulance wasn't allowed to cross Hizma checkpoint and the girl had to wait a long time in the heat for another ambulance to arrive from Jerusalem and take her on her onward journey. Photographer: Tamar Fleishman

20 February, 2008

Ambulances in the Gaza Strip ran out of fuel on Monday due to the reduction of fuel shipment from Israel to Gaza, Ma'an News reported.

The ambulance and emergency service in the Palestinian Health Ministry organized a 'sit-in' for the ambulance drivers in protest against the Israeli decision to further reduce fuel deliveries.

Muawiya Hassanain, director of ambulance and emergency service, appealed to the international Quartet and the World Health organization (WHO), as well as the United States, the UN, UNICEF and the Red Cross - asking them to end the siege of the Gaza Strip and to secure resumption of fuel delivery.

Hassanain added, "Since last week, the ambulance and emergency service has received only 300 litres of Benzene and 400 litres of diesel for ambulances and other vehicles." He explained that there are 57 vehicles belonging to the Ministry of Health.

The spokesperson for the Palestinian Health Ministry, Khalid Radi, described the Israeli decision to reduce fuel deliveries to the Gaza Strip as "execution of the Palestinian patients and injured people." He appealed to the whole world to intervene to prevent the looming humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Director of the gas station owners union in the Gaza Strip, Mahmoud Al-Khizindar, told Ma'an that the Gaza Strip only receives 75,000 of the required 120,000 litres of benzene per week.

Furthermore, Gaza receives 850,000 litres of diesel per week whereas the required amount is actually 350,000 litres per day.