GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Officials in the Gaza Strip said Tuesday that an Egyptian military crackdown on smuggling tunnels has led to dire shortages of fuel in the Palestinian territory.
Fuel used to be brought from Egypt to Gaza through the tunnels. But Hamas spokesman Islam Shahwan said Egypt has closed or destroyed dozens of the tunnels along the Egypt-Gaza border in recent weeks, and almost no tunnels are now in use.
Palestinians are lining up at gas stations, and daily power outages last up to 14 hours.
Mohammed Al-Abdullah, spokesman for the Gaza oil companies union, said only a few gas stations are stocked with fuel reserves. He says fuel transfers from Israel will be limited because of upcoming Jewish holidays, and will not suffice for Gaza’s electrical plant.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
Discover Israel's most beloved poet
She died more than four decades ago, but Leah Goldberg remains a magnetic and enigmatic figure: Israel’s most beloved poet, a powerful woman who lived with her mother and never married, who reinvented herself from the ashes of World War I through her magical writing.
You can screen 'The Five Houses of Leah Goldberg' June 4-11. Join The Times of Israel Community today to support our work and watch this and other outstanding documentary films in our DocuNation series.
I want to see it
I want to see it
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this