Israel to resume fuel shipments to Gaza

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Source: CCTV.com | 11-11-2008 09:30

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has decided to resume fuel shipments to Gaza's electricity plant despite continued rocket fire, after Gaza officials shut down the facility, cutting power to much of the Gaza Strip.

Ehud Barak held talks on Monday with special Middle East envoy Tony Blair, who attended a conference of international peace negotiators in Egypt on Sunday. (CCTV.com)

Israel is the sole provider of industrial fuel for Gaza's only power plant.

Ehud Barak held talks on Monday with special Middle East envoy Tony Blair, who attended a conference of international peace negotiators in Egypt on Sunday.

Barak agreed to a request from Blair for Israel to allow minimal amounts of fuel through to Gaza's power plant, starting from Tuesday.

The decision was made despite a rocket attack on Israel on Monday afternoon.

Israeli military officials said Palestinian militants fired three rockets at Israel, but two fell short and exploded inside Gaza.

Israel stopped the fuel shipments last week and closed Gaza's border crossings in response to what it said was a wave of Palestinian rocket attacks, which came after an Israeli incursion into Gaza and a fierce gun battle between army troops and Hamas forces.

Much of Gaza City was without electricity, as some residents started up their own generators.

International organizations also warned that the border closures cause severe hardship for Gaza's 1.4 million residents trapped in the crowded territory.

Hamas had said the Israeli move to stop the shipments could further undermine the fragile Egyptian-mediated truce, which has held between the two sides for five months.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei