The first truckload of Qatari-funded fuel, of three shipments, entered the besieged Gaza Strip this afternoon via the Kerem Shalom (Karm Abu Salem) border crossing.

Three shipments of Qatari-funded fuel were allowed entry to the Gaza Strip by the Israeli authorities for Gaza’s only power plant.

Sources told Ma’an that a total six truckloads carrying 450 litres of fuel are expected to enter the Gaza Strip today.

READ: Gaza hospitals to stop services over fuel crisis

The Palestinian Authority (PA) objected to the Qatari move as the entry of fuel shipments was not done in coordination with it.

Gaza’s daily demand of power is between 450 to 500 Megawatts. However, the enclave has struggled for years with power shortages due to limited fuel access and degraded infrastructure.

In 2012, the UN warned that Gaza could become uninhabitable by 2020 if current trends were not altered. However, in another report released in July 2017, the UN said that “life for the average Palestinian in Gaza is getting more and more wretched,” and that for the majority of Gaza’s residents, the territory may already be unliveable.