->Israel argues that Hamas is responsible for providing diesel to Gaza's population. But how much diesel does Hamas have? Modest assessments put the number between 800k-1m liters (200k-264k US gallons), but it's likely much more than that->
1
2
10
Replies
A deep dive into Gaza's fuel situation (updated thread): how much diesel is available in Gaza, how much does Gaza need for basic humanitarian provisions, how much does Hamas have, what does Hamas need it for, and who has the responsibility to provide more when it runs out? ->
2
29
66
-> Diesel fuel serves three basic functions in Gaza right now: electricity generation in hospitals & other critical facilities (incl. warehouses & bakeries), powering water treatment & desalination plants (otherwise water is undrinkable), fuel the trucks to provide food/water->
2
0
7
-> According to Lynn Hastings,
@UN
Coordinator in Gaza,
@UNRWA
runs on 130,000 liters of diesel per day (34,000 US gallons) to meet the minimal provisions for Gaza’s population (trucks, water, food, and facilities). See her briefing in minutes 5:45-8:25->
1
0
6
-> Hastings says Israel provides
@UNRWA
with access to diesel purchased by Qatar in a terminal in Gaza located next to the Rafah crossing near Egypt. She says UNRWA draws 200,000 liters of fuel at a time (53,000 gallons), but this number seems too high. Perhaps an exaggeration.->
1
1
7
-> So why does
@UNRWA
keep saying it will run out of fuel at any moment, but keeps operating for weeks? Hastings explains that Israel gives UNRWA only sporadic access to the terminal. By releasing alarming statements to the press, UNRWA pressures Israel to speed up coordination->
1
4
20
->It's not clear where the rest of
@UNRWA
's diesel comes from, since Israel says it has not allowed new diesel to enter since Oct 7. Perhaps the UN's numbers are wrong, or there's more diesel in Gaza than Israel initially assumed, or new diesel is still somehow coming into Gaza->
1
0
11
->In any case,
@UNRWA
can't do everything by itself. More diesel is needed to power Gaza's water facilities and hospitals. The main desalination plant requires 3.2k liters/hour to operate. That is why there's a lot of international pressure on Israel to allow more diesel inside->
1
0
9
->The
@IDF
spotted 500k liters worth of diesel in satellite pictures. But most storage is likely held underground. Hamas depleted Gaza's power plant on the first day of the war (that's at least 400k liters), and there's a recording claiming another 500k under Shifa hospital->
1
1
10
->If it has so much in storage, why doesn't Hamas release some diesel to the hospitals? It does, but very little, at a very high price, and only to those with connections to Hamas. Private businessmen & aid groups are forced to pay it to transfer diesel to the smaller hospitals->
2
8
19
->Hamas does not see itself as a state entity responsible for fuel provision to the population. It sees itself as a liberation movement that needs diesel for resistance, and thus it's the responsibility of the UN & Israel to take care of Gaza's residents->
2
8
20
->How much diesel does Hamas need? That's also impossible to know. It needs diesel to power its underground ventilation systems, lights, and communications.
@nytimes
estimates it has enough for 3-4 months if that's all it does with diesel->
1
4
14
->Important to note that diesel is not used as fuel for launching rockets. Hamas rockets (Qassam) use solid fuel, potassium nitrate. When the IDF warns that the diesel is used by Hamas for rockets, it means the manufacturing of rockets in domestic factories, not the propulsion->
3
7
18
->Since no one knows the extent of Hamas' underground city, it's also hard to estimate how much electricity it needs. If it has an underground hospital or a rocket manufacturing factory, the diesel will run out much sooner & Hamas will be under pressure to get more from outside->
2
2
11
->So who has the duty to release diesel to the residents of Gaza? Israel says that Hamas should do it, but there's no reason for that to happen because no one demands it from Hamas (except Israel). On the contrary, the pressure from the international community is only on Israel->
2
4
17
->As US pressure increased, Israel eventually agreed to allow more fuel inside. Israel demands supervision of the fuel trucks to prevent theft by Hamas, but once the diesel gets to hospitals, there is no way to prevent Hamas from taking it, as it did in the first days of fighting
1
2
10
-> If Israel is viewed as the de-facto occupying force, it is required by international law to provide water, food & medicine to Gaza, but not fuel. However, without fuel there's no water in Gaza, and this complicates it all. See this thread to see why:
Following
#Israel
's decision to cut the
#electricity
supply to
#Gaza
, I'm sharing a short informational thread with background on Gaza's electricity sector and the consequences of the supply cut: In times of peace, 50% of the electricity in Gaza is provided by Israel for free ->
123
2K
4K
2
1
11