“US will continue to push for fuel in Gaza”: Top White House official

Washington DC [US]: Amid the ongoing Israeli offensive against Hamas in Gaza and the evolving humanitarian crisis, the US has assured the international community that it will continue to push for the supply of fuel to be restored in the region.

Noting that fuel is an important commodity for life and sustainment in Gaza and is fast running out, National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for strategic communications, John Kirby said the US knows that fuel is a precious commodity as it is needed to run generators in hospitals.

Addressing a White House briefing on Wednesday, Kirby said, “We have said that fuel is an important commodity for life and sustainment in Gaza for the Palestinian people that are still there. We know that fuel is a precious commodity that’s running out, and you need it for generators in hospitals.”

He noted further that fuel was also needed to run desalination pumps to ensure the generation of fresh water, as opposed to seawater, in the region.

“You need it to run the desalination pumps so that you can drink fresh water and not seawater. All of that is important. So we’re going to continue to work with partners in the region. We’re going to continue to push for fuel,” Kirby added.

Also flagging fears of Hamas members absconding with the fuel and using it for their own purposes, Kirby said, “We certainly understand Israeli concerns about the possibility for Hamas to abscond with fuel and use it for their own purposes and not allow it to be used in hospitals and desalination plants.

We understand that that is a legitimate concern. No question about it… There’s a balance here that has to be achieved. Obviously, we haven’t achieved it yet, but we still believe, just in general, that fuel needs to be able to get to the people.”

He added that the US will continue to make sure that Israel has the tools and capabilities needed to defend itself.

“We are going to continue to make sure Israel has the tools and capabilities that they need to defend themselves. We’re going to continue to try to get that humanitarian assistance in. We’re going to continue to try to get hostages and people out of Gaza appropriately,” he added.

Last week, the Palestinian Health Ministry claimed that the ongoing Israeli airstrikes have forced seven hospitals and 21 primary healthcare centres in Gaza to go “out of service.” Additionally, 64 medical staff members have lost their lives in the ongoing conflict, it said.

A severe shortage of fuel, water, and electricity is crippling hospitals in Gaza, rendering some “out of service” and endangering lives, a top relief agency told CNN.

Fuel scarcity has pushed Gaza residents to use contaminated water, as much of the available water is undrinkable without fuel-dependent treatment processes, Hiba Tibi, the country director for CARE West Bank and Gaza, told CNN in an interview.

“We need fuel to transport the clean water to the population. All of that is getting very complicated,” Tibi said, adding, “The most important thing for us is to ensure that we have access to fuel, for hospitals and water treatment units in Gaza.”

“If we have water and electricity and fuel, specifically to generate these two main important necessities, the situation might look better … to allow for saving lives,” Tibi added.

Meanwhile, a third fleet of vehicles carrying essential aid made its way into Gaza through the Rafah crossing, from Egypt, on Monday, CNN reported.

Home to over 2 million civilians, Gaza faces the ongoing threat of severe dehydration and starvation due to Israel’s persistent bombardment and complete blockade.

Over the weekend, on Saturday and Sunday, a total of 34 trucks transported much-needed supplies, including food, water, medications, and medical equipment from Egypt to Gaza via the same crossing.