Stocks of wheat, sugar and cooking oil are dwindling in Gaza and could begin to run out within days unless Israel reopens the strip's main crossing point for goods, UN officials said today.
David Shearer, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said humanitarian conditions had deteriorated since the January 25th Palestinian election because of Israel's closure of the main crossing into Gaza at Karni and other security measures. Hamas won the poll.
"This is getting to precarious levels," Mr Shearer said in an interview.
Israel closed Karni for 21 days between January 15th and February 5th, Mr Shearer's office said.
Karni was closed again on February 21st after a mysterious explosion in the area. It has remained closed since then because of "continued security alerts", an Israeli army spokeswoman said.
The army said Israel offered to reroute supplies to Gaza through another crossing, but the Palestinians declined. Israel has halted tax revenue transfers to the Palestinian Authority and has asked donor nations to freeze all but humanitarian aid to pressure the Islamist militant group Hamas to renounce violence, recognise the Jewish state, and abide by interim peace deals.
Israel ended its 38-year military rule of the Gaza Strip last year, but retains control of all access points for bringing goods in and out of the territory, citing security concerns.
According to Mr Shearer, sugar stocks will begin to run out in Gaza in as little as two or three days unless Karni is reopened. Sugar prices have risen by more than 25 per cent because of Israel's frequent closure of the crossing point, Shearer said.
Supplies of wheat flour to make bread, Gaza's main staple, will likewise begin to run out in as little as four days unless truckloads of wheat are let in, Mr Shearer said.