Severe shortage of cooking gas in Gaza

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are struggling to source cooking gas because of a severe shortage in the besieged Strip, Safa news agency reported yesterday.

According to the Chairman of the Petroleum and Gas Owners Association of the Gaza Strip, Mahmoud Shawa, the crisis is a result of the shortage of cooking gas allowed to enter the Strip by Israel.

“The cooking gas stations stopped accepting empty gas containers because their tanks are empty,” Shawa said, noting that the crisis is “very critical”.

Israel allows only half the amount cooking gas needed into the Strip, the official explained.

The Palestinian Authority announced last month that it is working with Israel to allow for a new gas pipeline to be built to help ease the needs of people in the Gaza Strip. The announcement came as the existing pipeline was found to be insufficient for the needs of inhabitants of the Strip.

As yet the new pipeline is not operational.