Gaza awaits Qatari shipment to end fuel crisis

Khalil al-Hayya, a member of the political bureau of the Islamic Resistance Movement, said that the first shipment of Qatari fuel was supposed to arrive Wednesday after Qatar’s decision to pay for its transfer to the Gaza Strip. In a statement to Al-Aqsa TV on Tuesday evening he said:  "We are prepared to overcome every obstacle to receive the  fuel which will arrive this month. I urge Egyptian officials to facilitate the access of the convoy.” Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) issued a statement indicating that it had received a shipment of Qatari fuel  bound for the Palestinian authority in Suez Port on April 20 and it was stored in warehouses of  the Suez Company for Petroleum Processing. It has been coordinated with the Ministry of  Interior to secure the transfer process. The Egyptian newspaper  Al-Ahram quoting  the  EGPC statement said that Egyptian officials have completed the required customs procedures and contacted the Palestinian officials on April 26 and May 6 to determine the appropriate method for the transfer of the stored amount,  pointing out that the Palestinians have not responded to the receipt of  fuel shipment thus far. There has been a severe shortage of fuel and electricity in  the Gaza Strip, a crisis which has lasted for more than two months. When there an announcement came that    large quantities of fuel were due to arrive through  the Kerem Abu Salem checkpoint, Palestinian citizens predicted that the crisis would soon be over.  But their hopes dashed when it became apparent that the promised fuel had vanished without trace. The primary solution for the crisis in this coastal strip is the  black market via tunnel smuggling between Egypt and the Gaza Strip,  where everything can be found, but at exorbitant prices and huge profits for exploiters. In  a development of the crisis, Mohammed Awad, Vice-President of the deposed  Egyptian government, demanded the Egyptian authorities to intervene in order to allow the cargo of fuel from Qatar  access through Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt,  rather than the Kerem Abu Salem crossing, which is controlled by  the Israeli authorities. In a press statement, Awad made no comment  about the expected arrival of the Qatari fuel into the Gaza Strip, but pointed out  the continuous closure of the Kerem Abu Salem crossing. Israeli radio reported that the Qatari fuel ship, which was supposed to reach Gaza Strip to resolve the fuel crisis, will not access through Kerem Abu Salem unless it discharges its cargo at Ashdod port. Two months ago the Gaza Strip suffered a severe crisis in electricity and fuel, which has had an impact on all aspects of life and vital sectors such as facilities for health, education, infrastructure and sanitation projects, as well as hindering the work of the only power plant providing electricity to the whole Strip because it rhad run out of  its buffer stock of fuel. The government of Gaza expressed on Monday its hope that the Egyptian authorities would speed up procedures for the shipment containing  25 tons of fuel for Gaza to resolve the worsening electricity crisis. The foreign ministry explained in its statement that the Qatari fuel ship is located in Suez Port in Egypt, waiting for its  transfer through  Kerem Abu Salem crossing, stressing that the delay in arrival has exacerbated the electricity crisis in the Strip, especially as exams for more than half a million students are to begin shortly. . Qatar had donated  shipment worth approximately 35 million dollars,, enough to supply the power station in Gaza for more than two months. Egypt continues its efforts to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. Egypt and Hamas signed in February 23 an agreement with the assistance of the Islamic Development Bank to end the Gaza power crisis by providing it with 22 megawatts of electricity.