Fuel shipment to power plant arrives in Gaza

A badly needed fuel shipment arrived in the Gaza Strip Wednesday through Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing with Israel to run the power plant in Gaza, according to a Palestinian official. The power plant had stopped working for days due to shortage of fuel and most of the Gaza Strip was left without electricity. Ra’ed Fattouh, in charge of the Gaza crossings, told WAFA that around a dozen trucks entered the Strip carrying from 450,000 to 500,000 liters of fuel to the power plant. The shipment is enough for one day of work, added Fattouh. The Palestinian Authority and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, reached an agreement on Tuesday on a mechanism to bring regular supplies of fuel into the Strip as long as the power company pays the PA for the fuel. If Hamas upholds the agreement, there will be a daily fuel shipment of 350,000 to 400,000 liters to run the power plant, added Fattouh. The electricity company in Gaza announced it will plan a schedule to manage power distribution in the Strip, which will provide electricity for eight hours to several areas respectively.