By Bunmi Yekini
United Nations agencies have sounded a dire alarm over a critical fuel shortage in Gaza, warning that without immediate and sustained deliveries, humanitarian operations for over 2.1 million people could grind to a complete halt.
In a joint statement released on Saturday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS, UNRWA, WFP, and WHO described fuel as the “backbone of survival” in the besieged enclave.
“Fuel powers hospitals, water systems, ambulances, bakeries, and every aspect of humanitarian operations,” the agencies stated. “Without fuel, these lifelines will vanish for 2.1 million people.”
After nearly two years of conflict, Gaza’s residents are already grappling with widespread food insecurity and crumbling infrastructure. The UN warned that the depletion of fuel would further devastate the already desperate population.
“When fuel runs out, it places an unbearable new burden on a population teetering on the edge of starvation,” the statement read. “Hospitals are already going dark, maternity, neonatal and intensive care units are failing, and ambulances can no longer move.”
The statement also painted a grim picture of the cascading impact: road transport paralyzed, telecommunications disabled, and families isolated from vital information. Sanitation networks and water systems would collapse, raising the threat of disease outbreaks and further endangering vulnerable groups.
“Without adequate fuel, Gaza faces a collapse of humanitarian efforts,” the agencies emphasized. “Water production and sanitation systems will shut down, leaving families without safe drinking water, while solid waste and sewage pile up in the streets.”
Earlier this week, a small shipment of fuel was permitted into Gaza for the first time in over four months, but the UN described this as “a small fraction of what is needed each day to keep daily life and critical aid operations running.”
The agencies stressed that consistent and sufficient fuel deliveries are not optional but essential.
“The United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners cannot overstate the urgency of this moment: fuel must be allowed into Gaza in sufficient quantities and consistently to sustain life-saving operations.”