Gaza receives first fuel shipment in weeks after winter storm

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/15/gaza-first-fuel-shipments-weeks-winter-storm

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The Gaza Strip received its first shipment of industrial fuel in 45 days on Sunday, bringing much-needed relief in the wake of a rare winter storm that caused havoc across many parts of the Middle East.

Fuel shortages have hampered rescue and recovery efforts in Gaza, where thousands of residents fled their flooded homes. The storm relented on Saturday, but authorities in the region still struggled to clear roads and repair power lines.

Israel ships fuel to Gaza on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, but Hamas has refused to accept the shipments, saying they cannot afford the new tax they would incur.

Palestinian border official Raed Fattouh said Sunday's fuel shipment was paid for by Qatar, which has aided Hamas in the past.

Israel has maintained a blockade of Gaza since Hamas came to power in 2007, but over the weekend it sent diesel for heating and water pumps as a humanitarian gesture.

Power cuts have become more regular and prolonged in Gaza in recent months following a coup in neighbouring Egypt that removed the country's Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi, a close ally of Hamas, from power. Egypt's new military rulers have closed smuggling tunnels along the Egypt-Gaza border through which fuel was moved.

The UN said around 10,000 Gazans were forced to seek shelter in schools and other public buildings as a result of the flooding the storm caused. Hamas put the number at around 40,000.

On Sunday, residents began fixing leaky roofs, windows and cracks in walls, and trying to remove water from their homes.

"It's time for hard work, to restart our lives again," said Ihab Saed, 23, whose family's small home was damaged by floodwaters and sewage.

One man died of smoke inhalation after burning coal indoors in an attempt to keep his house warm, health officials said.

In Israel, around 14,000 homes remained without power after the storm, officials said.

Public transport in Jerusalem all but ground to a halt and police asked residents not to drive, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

"This morning I want to go to work but I can't because you see all the ice on the streets. I can't move my car," said local resident Itzchak Haringman, who helped push a taxi out of the snow before hopping in.

In neighbouring Jordan, King Abdullah II caused a stir by showing up to help push a car out of the snow on Saturday. The king stopped his black SUV to help a stranded motorist, shocking his security guards, who scrambled to keep curious onlookers away.

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