GAZA POWER SUPPLIES CRITICALLY LOW, WARNS UN

GAZA POWER SUPPLIES CRITICALLY LOW, WARNS UN New York, Apr 30 2008 5:00PM Due to disruptions at the Nahal Oz fuel crossing – which was attacked earlier this month by Palestinian militants – fuel supplies for Gaza are critically low, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) warned today.

"Without additional fuel deliveries before Friday, the power plant could be forced to shut down this weekend," UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York.

The Nahal Oz depot is the sole overland conduit into the Gaza Strip.

In a related development, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (<"http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.html">UNRWA) reported that it has no benzene and is running dangerously low in diesel fuel due to distribution issues.

Passenger cars are grounded, while vehicles used for food distributions that rely on diesel will be inoperable again next week if no new supplies are provided.

<"http://www.unsco.org/Default.asp">UNSCO underscored the need for all sides to ensure that UNRWA has the necessary benzene and diesel it needs to carry out its work.
2008-04-30 00:00:00.000

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