A Palestinian loading fuel for Gaza near the Nahal Oz crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip
Al-Haq l Al-Mezan
Center for Human Rights l Al Dameer Association for Human Rights – Gaza l Gaza
Community Mental Health Programme l Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of
Movementl Hamoked: Center for the Defence of the Individual l Physicians for
Human Rights-Israel l The Public Committee Against Torture in
Israel l Yesh Din: Volunteers for Human Rights
Palestinian
and Israeli human rights groups today issued an urgent call to cease
restrictions on Gaza's fuel supply
and stop the unprecedented harm to Gaza's
humanitarian needs. The
above-listed rights groups warned:
"We
express concern and outrage at the systematic dismantling of the Gaza Strip's vital systems by preventing the residents of
Gaza, a territory under Israel's
occupation, from obtaining the fuel they need to generate electricity, power
hospitals, run transportation, pump water and sewage, and provide for basic
social and economic needs.
We call
upon Israel, the occupying power in Gaza, immediately to end the six-month long
restrictions on fuel supply that have paralyzed Gaza's
infrastructure and endangered the health and well-being of Gaza's 1.5 million residents.
We call
on armed groups in Gaza to refrain from attacking civilians, including at the
crossings that channel fuel, food, and other goods into the Gaza Strip.
We call on
Israel to refrain from attacking civilians and depriving them of basic rights
and needs. We emphasize Israel's
obligation as the primary duty bearer under the law of occupation to ensure the
humane treatment of the civilian population, including with respect to the
provision of fuel to the Gaza Strip, ensuring the maintenance of hospitals, public
health services and food and medical supplies and refraining from rendering useless
objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population.
We
assert that acts of reprisals and collective penalties against civilians are
unjustified and could be considered war crimes that must be investigated and
stopped.
We call
on all parties to respect their obligations under human rights and humanitarian
law, especially the obligation to distinguish between civilians and combatants".
Background: For the last six
months, Israel has restricted the amount of fuel that Gaza residents may
purchase, draining reserves and leaving essential systems vulnerable to supply
interruptions. Israel does not permit Gaza residents to obtain fuel except via
the fuel depot at Nahal Oz, on the Israel-Gaza border. The restrictions on fuel
supply were upheld by Israel's
Supreme Court in January 2008,
in a decision condemned by human rights groups as
authorizing collective punishment. However, since an attack on the Nahal Oz
crossing on April 9 that killed two civilians, Israel has restricted fuel
supplies to levels far below even the minimum, insufficient levels promised to the
Supreme Court. It has transferred no diesel or petrol supply and just 1/3 of
the industrial diesel needed for Gaza's
power plant.
On April
7, Gaza's petroleum company owners
began striking, refusing to deliver the minimal quantities of petrol and diesel
on the Palestinian side of Nahal Oz in protest of the restrictions that have
crippled their ability to deliver fuel. The strike does not affect supply of
industrial diesel, which is delivered directly to Gaza's
power plant.
Shortages
in petrol for aid trucks prevented food delivery by UNRWA to 650,000 for five
days,
and reserves are low. Fuel shortages for Gaza's
water company have disrupted water supply and forced the pumping of 10-20
million liters raw sewage in the sea daily. Hospitals, schools and universities
have been disrupted by absenteeism.
For
more details:
Gisha
Director Sari Bashi +972(0)54 8172103,
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
;
Al Mezan Communication Coordinator Mahmoud Abu Rahma, +972(0)59 9609310.
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