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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Gaza fuel shortage a Hamas propaganda: Israel |
| 2008-04-12 |
| Israel on Friday claimed that Hamas was exaggerating gasoline shortages in the Gaza Strip for propaganda purposes while using large quantities of fuel to transport weapons that target Israel. “We aren’t saying that the situation in Gaza is easy, but there is a Hamas propaganda campaign,” said Colonel Nir Press, the liaison officer with the Gaza Strip. “We had information from the Palestinians during the last few weeks that Hamas is taking a lot of fuel for their needs. You can see that they carry Qassam rockets, roadside bombs and mortar shells for terror activities against Israel.” Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly urged Israel to end the blockade it imposed against Gaza in January, saying the sanctions are further crippling the impoverished and overpopulated territory. But Israel, which says the embargo aims at halting rocket fire by militants, insists it is allowing vital supplies into Gaza. Press said 800,000 litres (208,000 gallons) of diesel and 75,000 litres of gasoline were sent to Gaza last week, and a similar quantity the previous week, while tens of thousands of litres of fuel were stored at the Nahal Oz terminal on the border between Gaza and Israel. “This fuel stands on the Palestinian side but they don’t collect it.” Israeli authorities said they temporarily shut down the terminal on Wednesday after Palestinian militants stormed the border and killed two Israeli contractors at the facility. All the fuel that goes into Gaza transits through Nahal Oz. Gas stations in Gaza have been on strike for several days to protest insufficient deliveries of fuel. “It is part of a campaign so that they can show to the media that the gas stations are closed and people wait overnight in their cars, but they have fuel and they don’t send it to the gas stations,” Press said. “This is a cynical operation by Hamas against its own population,” he said. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 There may be a shortage because they have ramped up the manufacture of Molotov cocktails??? |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2008-04-12 08:59 |