Israeli authorities are closing the Karam Abu Salem crossing, Gaza’s sole commercial crossing, for five consecutive days starting today under the pretext of Jewish holidays, a Palestinian official said.
“We have been informed that the crossing will be partially opened on Sunday to allow the entry of fuel needed to run Gaza’s only power station,” director of the crossing Munir Al-Ghalban told the Anadolu Agency.
Three Jewish holidays fall in September including Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
Al-Ghalban warned that the closure would impact the supply of diesel as well as the entry of sufficient quantities of cooking gas, adding that this closure will further increase the suffering of the residents of the beleaguered Strip.
Karem Abu Salem is the only commercial crossing through which goods and fuel enter the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the Energy Authority in Gaza warned that the Gaza power plant will stop working if the border is closed for five days.
The authority said in a statement that closing the crossing will exacerbate the suffering of Gaza’s residents and result in a sharp decline in the amount of fuel which already enters in very limited quantities.