Gaza on brink of total shutdown as fuel runs out, aid groups warns

Fuel in Gaza has reached critically low levels, putting the survival of its entire population at risk, humanitarian agencies warned on Thursday.

Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), said on X that the enclave had now exhausted even its last reserves. "The last drops are being rationed to keep bare-minimum services alive," he wrote.

"Fuel is not a side issue - it is the backbone of humanitarian aid. Denial will collapse the entire system, with catastrophic consequences for civilians," he added.

Jorge Moreira da Silva, head of the UN’s Office for Project Services (UNOPS), said the agency managed to deliver 90,000 litres of fuel for water, sanitation, hygiene, and telecoms in northern Gaza. But due to depleted stocks, "it's all UNOPS could deliver".

Yet Gaza needs around eight million litres of diesel and 400,000 litres of benzene every month just to keep essential services running, Egeland said.

One of the most affected sectors is healthcare, already devastated by repeated Israeli attacks. With many facilities damaged or destroyed and thousands of medical personnel killed, the sector is now close to total collapse.

The World Health Organisation's account for the occupied Palestinian territories said that services at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City have been reduced or suspended entirely to preserve just 3,000 litres of remaining fuel - a supply that will only last a few days.

"One operating theatre is down, dialysis sessions have been cut from 3 to 2 days per week per patient, oxygen plan has stopped, forcing reliance on cylinders," the agency said.

"Without fuel, Gaza's health system - and Gaza itself - risks grinding to a halt," it added.

Ahmed Bayram, the Middle East Spokesman for the NRC, told The New Arab that without fuel, "Gaza faces the total breakdown of water provision in desalination plants and water trucks."

He said that the group's water trucking programme can only service 33 out of 64 sites due to both water shortages and Israeli military relocation directives that have meant seven sites are "completely inaccessible". 

"The 33 sites still reachable receive only 380 cubic meters of water per day, reaching around 85,000 people with 4.5 litres per person per day, far below the 15 litres needed for survival."

He added that the lack of entry of fuel into the enclave was "threatening the very survival of all 2.1 million people" in Gaza.

According to a situation update from the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Tuesday, inadequate fuel supplies will also hamper other services, including telecommunications, which threatens aid delivery alongside coordination and civilian safety.

The agency said that lifesaving rescue missions and road clearance operations were also at risk of shutting down without fuel.

Oxfam's Humanitarian Lead, Magnus Corfixen, echoed the warnings of other agencies to The New Arab, saying that there would be "catastrophic" consequences without the immediate influx of fuel into the enclave.

"People are already barely surviving and burning rubbish in order to cook what little food they have," she said, reiterating that hospitals, water and communication facilities were also at risk of shutting down - services that were also highlighted to The New Arab by the NRC and UNRWA.

"Without fuel, the last remaining sanitation facilities will not be able to run. With the rising heat and potential spread of diseases, this poses a huge risk to public health," Corfxen added.

Juliette Touma, UNRWA's Director of Communications, told The New Arab that fuel hasn't entered the enclave since 2 March and that rationing to ensure continued access to basic services has been ongoing.

Israel reintroduced its siege of Gaza and restarted its offensive on the enclave after it refused to enter serious negotiations to see an end to the war, a key Hamas demand in ceasefire negotiations.

Following dire famine warnings and international backlash from key Western allies, Israel loosened the siege, allowing the entry of aid.

This has been through a US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), however, which has been condemned by the UN, whose primary agency in Gaza, UNRWA, has been sidelined by Israel.

Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire attempting to reach distribution points operated by the GHF, with thousands more injured.

Touma reiterated the UNRWA's calls for "a ceasefire, a release of all hostages and the lifting of the siege so that the UN, including UNRWA, can bring in much-needed supplies including fuel."