“The decision was taken in light of the continued terror balloons and continued friction along the [border] fence,”
By TOVAH LAZAROFFUpdated: AUGUST 2, 2018 16:56Israel halts fuel shipments to Gaza as terror on border continues, August 2, 2018 (Reuters)
Israel banned the entry of gas and fuel into Gaza late Wednesday night to protest the spike in the number of flaming balloons and kites that Palestinians have launchd into southern Israel this weeks.“A short time ago Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman ordered that gas and fuel be banned from entering Gaza through Kerem Shalom, starting on Thursday and until such time as there is a new announcement,” his spokesman said in a statement.“The decision was taken in light of the continued terror balloons and continued friction along the [border] fence,” the spokesman said.Liberman had also banned fuel and gas from entering Gaza in July, but rescinded after a drop in Gaza violence.Last month he also halted the flow of commercial goods into Gaza until such time as Hamas stops all the violence against Israel.The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov has worked behind the scenes, along with Egypt, to find a way to end the renewed violence between Israel and Hamas.But has yet to find a resolution to the low simmering violent conflict that began on March 30.The lack of gas and fuel is particularly difficult for the 2 million people in Gaza, who are already living on only about four hours of electricity a day. They need the fuel to run backup generators, particularly in health facilities such as hospitals.