Israel to renew fuel delivery to Gaza: official

JERUSALEM, Oct. 24 — Israel decided to renew the Qatari-financed fuel supply to the besieged Gaza Strip, the Israeli Defense Ministry said on Tuesday night.
A statement released on behalf of Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the minister has decided to “renew the Qatari fuel supply to the Gaza Strip, starting from Wednesday.”
The decision was made “following consultations with security officials,” said the statement without elaborating.
Israel has been suspending the delivery of fuel for Gaza’s power plant over the past two weeks, after a rocket from the Palestinian enclave hit a residential home in southern Israel.
The decision came a day after anonymous cabinet ministers told local media that the rocket seems to had been launched unintendedly as a result of a lightning strike.
It also came amidst reports on emerging cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that runs Gaza, promoted by Egypt and the United Nations.
According to the Times of Israel, the emerging deal would see Qatari-financed fuel to Gaza in addition to funds to pay for civil servants’ salaries in Gaza.
Tensions between Israel and Hamas have been high since March 30, when a string of protests against the blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt since 2007, was started.
Israeli army shot dead 207 Palestinians and wounded more than 22,000 others since the start of the anti-Israel marches of return and protests in the Gaza Strip close to the border with Israel on March 30, according to Gaza Health Ministry. – XINHUA