Gaza in crisis: Israel turns away UN food convoy at border; blackouts as power plant shuts down
Ma'an News Agency, Gaza, Nov 13 2008, 15:29 Updated 20:16 local time
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=33196
Israel went back on a pledge to ease its blockade of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, turning away critical deliveries of fuel and food at the borders for the seventh consecutive day. In reneging on its pledge, Israel blocked delivery of UN food aid intended for 750k Palestinians. Gaza was plunged into darkness as the territory’s only power plant shut down at 6:00pm local time due to a lack of fuel. Just before dark, Palestinans went into the streets in a frantic search for candles and bread. As night fell, sirens sounded accross the Gaza Strip in protest of the closure. Earlier in the day, 20 European consuls who planned to visit Gaza were turned away at the Erez border crossing. Aid workers were also denied entry to the Strip, and medical patients were prevented from entering Israel for treatment.
John Ging, the director of UN operations in Gaza, warned of an impending “humanitarian disaster” if Israel continues to bar food and other supplies from the territory. “We cannot describe the situation in the Gaza Strip except as a terrible and terrifying one. There are 750k refugees who depend on what we offer them in food supplies. Israel is preventing us from distributing these supplies,” he told Ma’an. Ging said UN food storehouses are nearly empty. He said the Israeli closure, in that it punishes civilians, is a violation of international law. On Wednesday Israel had pledged to allow minimum shipments of fuel and 33 truckloads of food into Gaza.
Ra’ed Fattouh, coordinator of the border crossings department in the Palestinian government in Gaza, said that his agency was informed by Israel on Wednesday evening its intention to open the Kerem Shalom crossing to allow the 33 truckloads of food to cross. However, the trucks were turned away at 1pm Thursday afternoon. Eight of the trucks contained sesame oil, milk and canned meats intended to be shipped to UNRWA, which is responsible for feeding 750k Palestinians in Gaza. UNRWA announced earlier this week that its food program would be forced to shut down if food was not delivered by Friday. Nine of the trucks contained dairy products and six contained frozen meat, also sent by humanitarian organizations.
Member of Parliament Jamal Al-Khudari, the Chairman of the Popular Committee Against the Siege, said that the Gaza Strip’s sole power plant would shut down at 6:30pm local time on Thursday, due to a lack of industrial fuel. Al-Khudari said that the resulting power cuts would also disrupt critical health, water, and sanitation services, endangering the health and life of thousands of Gaza residents. The power plant was already shut down for two days this week because of the fuel blockade, leaving hundreds of thousands in darkness. Al-Khudari held a candle-light press conference in Gaza just after sunset, condemning Israel's punishment of the civilian population of Gaza as a violation of international law.
Bakeries will likely shut down on Thursday because of a lack of cooking gas due to the blockade, said Abdel Nasser Al-Ajrami, the head of the Bakeries’ Owners’ Federation in Gaza. Al-Ajrami told Ma’an that that 13 bakeries out of 30 in the association have already shut down. He noted that each bakery has its own emergency supplies of gas which could last a few more days, but many have already run out. Al-Khudari, at his press conference, said that the remaining bakeries would likely shut down with the beginning of the blackouts.
When the criminals in the Israeli government send in the Zionist Goon Squads into Gaza, you can damn well bet that the IAF will deliberately target and bomb the Gazan power plant, just like those war criminals deliberately targeted and bombed the Beirut power plant in 2006.
The planned Zionist invasion of Gaza will be like the invasion of Lebanon in 2006, but will rely more on using air power than ground troops.
Block after block of Gaza will be leveled by the Zionist war criminals, with very little reporting.
Israel has been blocking reporters from entering Gaza, they don't want any evidence of their murderous activites to reach the public.
Except what Americans will be shown on state sanctioned outlets like CNN and FUX, who will, again, only show the Israeli side.
as you know, Greg, I have a certain resistance to apocalyptic warnings (like Masher's) but in this case I think what you describe could happen right soon, because the existing Israeli power structure is able to operate more freely than usual, being unrestrained by the supposedly elected Prime Minister.
Going back to countless Israeli operations over the past few decades, it's easy to see a patern of Zionist violence, primarily directed at civilians.
And I'm afraid that pattern is going to be repeated in Gaza.... soon.
Until Pigs fly. OR hell freezes over. But Apocalypse is USA's weird fucking game. You have to stop it Mr Berkely. Your the one with the head in sand problems. America is a berserk nutter running amok. The WHOLE world sees the punches coming for the empirical fucks. You can blow fairy dust up your ass till the cows come home... Will not change the facts of beserk rageing usa is engaged or its coming fix.
Change Course America YOU HAVE VERY LITTLE TIME LEFT TO SHOW THE COLOR OF YOUR PEOPLES HEART.
Fuck this one up and America WILL be lost.
First you take D.C. Then you take New York