Israel agreed to allow some fuel, medicine and food into the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Tuesday, at least temporarily easing a blockade that has plunged much of the territory into darkness and sparked international protests.
Monday's decision by Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak means the European Union will be allowed to deliver a week's supply of industrial fuel to Gaza's main power plant, which shut down on Sunday. The EU, which funds fuel shipments to the plant, confirmed the delivery would take place on Tuesday.
Israel closed its border crossings with Gaza on Friday in what it said was a bid to make Palestinian militants stop firing rockets into southern Israel. Large parts of Gaza, home to 1.5 million people, have since lost power as hospitals cancelled non-essential surgery and local residents stockpiled food. The EU and international agencies called the Israeli measures "collective punishment", which is banned under the Geneva Conventions.
| Remind me: did the PLO, Fatah or Hamas ever sign the Geneva Conventions? If not, why is Israel being held to them? |
Israel countered that conditions in Gaza never reached crisis levels and accused Hamas of exaggerating the impact of the closure.
It is unclear whether Barak will allow additional fuel shipments and medical supplies into Gaza, which Hamas Islamists seized by force in June after routing forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Israeli government officials said future shipments would hinge on regular assessments of Gaza's humanitarian needs and on the number of rockets fired by Palestinian militants into the Jewish state. "We are not committing on how often we will do this," Defence Ministry spokesman Shlomo Dror said. |