GAZA, Nov 19: Israel’s state security cabinet voted on Sunday to allow a limited entry of fuel into the Gaza Strip after coming under pressure from the United States, Israeli media reported.
The majority of the panel’s members supported the proposal put forward by a smaller war cabinet, comprised of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz I24News reported. The ministers of national security, finance and transport voted against.
The announcement came after more than six hours of fraught talks and signaled a policy reversal for Netanyahu’s cabinet. The far-right prime minister and his defense chief repeatedly said they would not let fuel enter the besieged enclave as long as Palestinian group Hamas held Israelis hostage.
Israel cut off all fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip at the start of the conflict with Hamas on October 7, causing the enclave’s only power plant and water treatment systems as well as hospitals and other critical facilities to shut down. (UNI)