Gaza faces fuel and food crunch as Israel shuts border crossings after Iran strikes

UN warns hospitals and water systems at risk within days; Israel says food stocks sufficient

Gaza is rapidly running out of fuel and could soon see shortages of basic foods after Israel closed all border crossings to the enclave, officials said, following Israeli air strikes on Iran conducted with the United States.

Israel’s military shut the crossings on Saturday, saying they could not be operated safely during wartime conditions. Authorities have not said how long the closures will last.

The blockade threatens to halt essential services in Gaza that rely on daily deliveries of diesel and gasoline from Israel and Egypt, including hospital operations, water pumping, and sanitation, according to local and international officials.

“I expect we have maybe a couple of days’ running time,” said Karuna Herrmann, a United Nations official who directs fuel distribution in Gaza.

Amjad Al-Shawa, a Palestinian aid leader in Gaza who works with the UN and several charities, estimated fuel supplies could last three or four days. He said stocks of vegetables, flour, and other essentials could also tighten quickly if the crossings remain shut. Independent verification of those estimates was not immediately possible.

Israel’s COGAT military agency, which oversees access to Gaza, said enough food had been delivered to the territory since the start of an October truce to meet the population’s needs. “(The) existing stock is expected to suffice for an extended period,” COGAT said, without elaborating. The agency declined to comment on potential fuel shortages.

The October truce is part of a broader U.S.-backed plan to end the war that envisions reopening the Rafah crossing with Egypt, expanding the flow of aid into Gaza, and rebuilding the shattered enclave. The border closures have now raised urgent questions about whether those commitments can proceed as planned.

Residents said the new shutdown is already reviving fears of famine, which gripped parts of Gaza last year after Israel blocked aid deliveries for 11 weeks.

“Why is it our fault, in Gaza, with regional wars between Israel, Iran, and America? It is not our fault,” said Hamada Abu Laila, a displaced Palestinian in Gaza. “We fear famine will return if fuel and food stop again.”

Health officials and humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned that even short interruptions to fuel deliveries can trigger cascading failures in Gaza’s fragile infrastructure. Hospitals rely on generators to keep critical care units running, while municipal systems need steady power for clean water and waste management.

With no clear timeline from Israel on when the crossings might reopen, aid groups are bracing for a rapid deterioration if fuel runs dry. The shortages could also impede distribution of any existing stocks by limiting trucking, cold storage, and bakery operations.

The closures followed Israel’s announcement of strikes on Iran, which it said were carried out with U.S. support, amid widening regional tensions. As the situation unfolds, Gaza’s aid pipeline—and the people depending on it—hang in the balance.

By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.