GENEVA, July 12, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The United Nations warned Saturday that 
dire fuel shortages in the Gaza Strip had reached "critical levels", 
threatening to further increase the suffering in the war-ravaged Palestinian 
territory.

Seven UN agencies said in a joint statement that "fuel is the backbone of 
survival in Gaza".

Fuel was needed to "power hospitals, water systems, sanitation networks, 
ambulances, and every aspect of humanitarian operations", they said, 
highlighting that bakeries also needed fuel to operate.

The besieged Palestinian territory has been facing dire fuel shortages since 
the beginning of the devastating war that erupted after Hamas's deadly attack 
inside Israel on October 7, 2023.

But now "fuel shortage in Gaza has reached critical levels", warned the 
agencies, including the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme 
and the humanitarian agency OCHA.

"After almost two years of war, people in Gaza are facing extreme hardships, 
including widespread food insecurity," they pointed out.

"When fuel runs out, it places an unbearable new burden on a population 
teetering on the edge of starvation."

The UN said that without adequate fuel, the agencies that have been 
responding to the deep humanitarian crisis in a territory swathes of which 
have been flattened by Israeli bombing and facing famine warnings, "will 
likely be forced to stop their operations entirely".

"This means no health services, no clean water, and no capacity to deliver 
aid," the statement said.

"Without adequate fuel, Gaza faces a collapse of humanitarian efforts," it 
warned.

"Without fuel, bakeries and community kitchens cannot operate. Water 
production and sanitation systems will shut down, leaving families without 
safe drinking water, while solid waste and sewage pile up in the streets," it 
added.

"These conditions expose families to deadly disease outbreaks and push Gaza's 
most vulnerable even closer to death."

The warning comes days after the UN managed to bring fuel into Gaza for the 
first time in 130 days.

While a "welcome development", the UN agencies said the 75,000 litres of fuel 
they were able to bring in was just "a small fraction of what is needed each 
day to keep daily life and critical aid operations running".

"The United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners cannot overstate the 
urgency of this moment," they said.

"Fuel must be allowed into Gaza in sufficient quantities and consistently to 
sustain life-saving operations."