Without PA consent, Israel begins transfer of gas to Gaza
This agreement is perhaps the most crucial clause agreed upon in the truce talks with Hamas.
By MAARIV ONLINE, HADAS LABRISCHUpdated: OCTOBER 9, 2018 14:17A fuel tanker bound for the Gaza power plant is seen in the central Gaza Strip October 9, 2018(photo credit: IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA / REUTERS)
Amid the crisis between Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Fatah in the West Bank, Israel began transferring diesel fuel Tuesday morning from Israel into power plants in Gaza without PA coordination or approval, Army Radio reported Tuesday.Two trucks have already entered Gaza, and it appears four more will make their way into the Strip throughout the day, enough to provide fuel for eight hours of electricity to the Gaza Strip over a 24 hour period.The Israeli fuel oil is currently funded by Qatar, who agreed to provide the fuel to Gaza for six months.The provision of the fuel oil is perhaps the most crucial clause agreed upon in the truce talks with Hamas.The PA last week attempted to prevent this measure. Essam Aldalis, deputy head of Hamas’s Political Department, said that Qatar has paid for the diesel fuel needed to keep power plants in the Gaza Strip running. He said that the money was sent to the United Nations Office for Project Services. In recent Egyptian mediated talks attempting to reconcile the Fatah and Hamas as well as bring about a truce agreement between Hamas and Israel, the two issues are constantly contested. In the most recent round of talks, the PA have been singled out as the problematic party, with Mahmoud Abbas making harsh statements against Hamas and vice versa.According to a Palestinian official talking to Kan news, Abbas on Friday told the Hamas leadership that he is giving them an ultimatum - hand over the Gaza Strip by the end of the month, or suffer a complete cut-off of funding.
The Gaza Strip situation is under constant stress, with frequent demonstrations erupting along the Gaza Strip fence. On Monday, thousands of protesters converged at the fence, and one demonstrator managed to infiltrate Israeli territories for a short period. “The incident was observed and under control from start to finish and at no point did it get out of hand,” the military reported on Tuesday.Khaled Abu-Toameh and Anna Ahronheim contributed to this report.
