The arrival of the fuel came less than a day after the power authority announced that Gaza’s sole power station had shut down once again because of lack of fuel. Gaza border official Raed Fattuh told Maan news that the first truck loaded with Qatari gas had entered Gaza, while four more were expected to arrive before Friday.

The plant was expected to resume operations soon, with the rest of the 30 million litre shipment scheduled for delivery in coming days, after at least four delays due to Egypt in the past three weeks. The shipments are being transported via Egypt to Israel and onto Gaza through the Karam Abu Salim crossing, according to AFP. 

Last month, Israel gave its permission for the fuel to be transferred through its territory after receiving a request from Egypt, an Israeli security official said.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are suffering a fuel crisis which has now entered in its fifth month, causing extended power cuts of up to 18 hours that significantly impacts the lives, health and livelihood of Gaza’s 1.6 million residents. The situation was eased somewhat in April after a deal between Gaza’s Hamas government and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

The Energy and National Resources Authority in Gaza said that the fuel is urgently needed in Gaza, and that it is unfortunate that Egypt deliberately delayed the trucks’ entry into the coastal region, and also denounced the ongoing illegal Israeli blockade on Gaza.

In a press release the Authority stated that it conducted all needed arrangements with the Egyptian Petroleum Authority to allow the Fuel’s entry especially since the Fuel, donated by Qatar, has been in tankers in the Suez Canal since more than 45 days, awaiting an Egyptian decision to allow its transfer into Gaza despite a prior agreement in this regard, Imemc.org reported.