Gaza Fuel Shortage Threatens 2.1 Million Lives
Geneva/ Rome/ Gaza/New York: The United Nations today raised a serious alarm, warning that the fuel shortage in Gaza has reached critical levels, plunging the region into a deepening humanitarian crisis after nearly two years of relentless war.
Fuel is the backbone of survival in Gaza, powering hospitals, water systems, sanitation networks, ambulances, and every aspect of humanitarian operations that keep the population alive. Fuel supplies are needed to move the fleet used for transporting essential goods across the Strip and to operate a network of bakeries producing fresh bread for the affected population. Without fuel, these lifelines will vanish for 2.1 million people, leaving them without the basic necessities to endure the ongoing conflict.
The people of Gaza are already grappling with extreme hardships, including widespread food insecurity, and the depletion of fuel places an unbearable new burden on a population teetering on the edge of starvation. The UN has highlighted that each day without a ceasefire results in preventable deaths, with children dying in pain and hungry individuals shot while attempting to access the limited aid allowed into the region, as seen in recent horrifying reports of dozens of casualties in Rafah who were simply trying to secure food and supplies for their families.
The consequences of this fuel crisis are dire, with UN agencies warning that without adequate fuel, their operations to address the crisis will likely grind to a halt, directly impacting all essential services across Gaza. This means no health services to treat the sick, no clean water to drink, and no capacity to deliver life-saving aid, as hospitals are already going dark, with maternity, neonatal, and intensive care units failing, and ambulances can no longer move. Roads and transport will remain blocked, trapping those in need. Telecommunications will shut down, crippling lifesaving coordination and cutting families off from critical information and from one another. Without fuel, bakeries and community kitchens cannot operate. Water production and sanitation systems will shut down, leaving families without safe drinking water, while solid waste and sewage pile up in the streets. These conditions expose families to deadly disease outbreaks and push Gaza’s most vulnerable, including children and the elderly, even closer to death. The UN has noted a slight relief this week with 75,000 litres of fuel entering Gaza for the second consecutive day, a positive step, though it falls far short of the daily requirement to sustain life-saving operations.
The UN has stressed the acute nature of the fuel crisis, pointing out that fuel stocks are depleting faster than they can be replenished, and if current restrictions are not lifted to allow greater volumes, more services will cease to function. The inability to deliver fuel to northern Gaza, due to denials by Israeli authorities, has left hospitals there on the brink of shutdown, with ambulances, water treatment facilities, and other essential services also at risk of collapsing. Humanitarian movements face significant obstacles, with only six out of 15 coordinated attempts fully facilitated on July 11, while five were outright denied and four faced impediments, hindering critical missions — such as the evacuation of vulnerable people from high-risk areas, the retrieval of vehicles and spare tires, and the assessment of medical equipment — could not be accomplished. The facilitation of movements also needs to be timely. A tragic example cited by the UN involves a denied request to reach 18 injured individuals trapped under rubble in Gaza City, where the delay resulted in no survivors being found. The blockade on shelter materials for over 130 days has further compounded the crisis, preventing the distribution of tents, while active hostilities and insecurity continue to put civilians — including aid workers — at risk. Just this Wednesday, July 9, and again yesterday, a total of five strikes hit a few hundred metres from where aid workers go; this included a UN staffer. Thankfully, none of the workers were injured. And also yesterday, members of the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies were shot at and injured on their way to help a colleague who had been injured and unreachable since last Friday. In all cases, the movements had been coordinated with the Israeli authorities.
Adding to the urgency, the UN revealed that 819 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access food between May 27 and July 10, with 634 deaths near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution points and 185 near aid convoys, including some run by us, based on data gathered from medical, human rights and humanitarian organisations. This underscores the need for independent investigations into why people are being killed while just trying to access aid.
The UN has expressed concern over the blockade on shelter materials and the inability to distribute tents due to depleted stocks, a point reiterated during a press briefing on July 11, 2025, by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General, who emphasized the life-threatening impact of denied access, particularly in the north where hospitals are on the verge of collapse. Dujarric highlighted that the recent entry of 75,000 litres of fuel for two consecutive days is a positive but insufficient step, covering only a small portion of the daily needs, and warned that without lifting current limits, services like ambulances, water treatment, and hospitals will shut down. He detailed the challenges of humanitarian movements, noting that only six of 15 attempts were fully facilitated, with delays costing lives, such as the failed rescue in Gaza City. Dujarric also addressed the ongoing insecurity, citing strikes near aid workers and attacks on Red Cross teams, and called for unimpeded access and timely facilitation to prevent further tragedies. He welcomed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s exploration of community-based aid delivery methods, suggesting these efforts align with the UN’s four principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence to meet the population’s desperate needs.
Amid discussions on aid delivery, the UN faces challenges with Israeli authorities, as only a fraction of requested movements are facilitated, with critical missions stalled due to depleted stocks and restrictions. The UN prioritises ensuring aid reaches people safely without loss of life, dismissing concerns about aid being grabbed by Hamas in Gaza as secondary, as Dujarric clarified during the briefing, focusing instead on feeding people without further casualties. The UN also supports the EU’s recent agreement with Israel, announced by Foreign Affairs Commissioner Kaja Kallas on July 10, to open more crossings, increase aid and food trucks entering Gaza, repair vital infrastructure, and protect aid workers, though it was not a party to the discussions and awaits implementation. Questions have arisen about why the Israelis trust the EU and the US more than the UN, with Dujarric suggesting this reflects differing influence levels among member states, but he framed the EU’s efforts as complementary to the UN’s work, urging all parties to ensure their execution. The UN remains in regular touch with those influencing the humanitarian needs in Gaza and awaits official confirmation on the postponed UN conference on a two-state solution, reported for late July. As of today, the situation remains critical, with the international community watching with growing concern, aware that the fate of Gaza’s people hangs in the balance unless immediate action is taken to address this crippling fuel shortage.
– global bihari bureau
