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Israel curtails fuel supply to Gaza
The action is retaliation for incessant rocket fire by Palestinian militants.
Associated Press
Published October 29, 2007
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israel began cutting vital fuel shipments to the Gaza Strip on Sunday, following through on a promise to step up pressure on the territory's Hamas rulers after months of Palestinian rocket attacks. Dor Alon, the Israeli energy company that sells fuel to Gaza, confirmed it received instructions from the Israeli Defense Ministry to reduce shipments. Last month the Israeli government declared Gaza a "hostile entity" and approved the plan for cutoffs as a response to near-daily rocket attacks by Gaza militants. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak gave the final go-ahead last week. The Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement Sunday that the Sufa crossing between Gaza and Israel has been closed. That crossing is used for transporting cargo in and out of Gaza. Its closing leaves only a smaller cargo crossing in operation. Israel says it holds the violent Islamic Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in June, responsible for the continued rocket fire. Smaller militant groups have carried out most of the rocket attacks, with Hamas militants firing mortars at border crossings. But Hamas has done nothing to stop the rocket fire. The fuel cut drew harsh condemnation from Palestinians in Gaza, which relies on Israel for all of its fuel and more than half of its electricity.
[Last modified October 29, 2007, 00:59:53]
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