DaysofPal- In the middle of a worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Civil Defense said it has run out of fuel to keep its vehicles running in the central and southern governorates. As Israel’s siege on Gaza approaches its second month, the occupation continues to block the entry of aid, medical supplies, and fuel, compounding what officials warn could become a catastrophic disaster.
The Civil Defense in Gaza warned that its ability to respond to emergency calls and carry out humanitarian operations has been severely crippled. Only four of its vehicles remain operational, posing a grave threat to the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians, including those displaced in overcrowded shelter centers.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for the Civil Defense, confirmed that eight out of twelve remaining operational vehicles have been forced out of service due to a lack of fuel. “Each vehicle needs around 100 liters of fuel daily to function,” he explained, “but the occupation has completely prevented the entry of fuel since March 2.”
Basal stressed that the Civil Defense has been unable to secure fuel directly and has instead relied on international and UN agencies, as well as humanitarian associations, since the onset of Israel’s military campaign on October 7, 2023.
“The continued obstruction of fuel delivery will lead to a complete halt of civil defense services,” he warned. “This means there will be no recovery of the dead and wounded as the war escalates.”
Before the latest round of violence resumed on March 18, following a fragile truce that began in January, Israel had already destroyed 17 of the Civil Defense’s 21 centers and 61 of its 72 vehicles, approximately 85% of its fleet.
The Civil Defense held the Israeli occupation “fully responsible for the worsening humanitarian crisis,” citing the prolonged war and the total blockade. Basal called on the United Nations and international organizations to intervene immediately.
“We are a civilian agency, clearly defined under international and humanitarian law,” he emphasized, urging international actors to pressure Israel into allowing the entry of essential fuel and equipment.
The Government Media Office in Gaza also released a statement in which it blamed Israel for the “worsening humanitarian disaster” and the danger that “hundreds of thousands of children, women, and the elderly face due to the lack of food, medicine, and water.”
The office also criticized the international community for its “silence on these crimes and the failure to take deterrent steps to hold the leaders of the Israeli occupation accountable.”
Welcoming the International Court’s recent affirmation that the Israeli occupation violates international law by undermining the rights of the Palestinian people, the media office reiterated that Israel, as the occupying power, is legally obligated under the Geneva Conventions to provide for the basic needs of the population, needs that are currently being denied.
“The occupation has blatantly violated these obligations by imposing a suffocating siege,” the statement read, “resulting in a major humanitarian disaster, severe shortages of food and medicine, and widespread infrastructure destruction.”
The office demanded “the immediate and urgent opening of all crossings without restrictions or conditions,” emphasizing the need for the unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid, particularly food and medicine for children and the sick.
It also urged the international community to act by holding Israeli leaders accountable for war crimes, particularly “the use of starvation as a weapon of genocide against the Palestinian people.”
Israel resumed its intensified aggression and imposed a full blockade on March 18, 2025, after the breakdown of a short-lived ceasefire that began on January 19. Throughout the truce, Israel has systematically violated its terms, leading to the current escalation and deepening humanitarian catastrophe.
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