The European Union voiced concerns here on Monday over the cutting of fuel supplies to Gaza by Israel.
"I condemn the rocket fire into Israel and we fully understand Israel's need to defend its citizens. I have called for an immediate ceasefire," EU Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Bentita Ferrero-Waldner said in a statement.
"However, the recent decision to close all border crossings into Gaza as well as to stop the provision of fuel will exacerbate an already dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and risks escalating an already difficult situation on the ground," she added.
She said that since the closure, the only power plant in Gaza "has completely shut down", adding that cutting the supply of fuel "jeopardizes the electricity production and the supply of clean water".
"Over the weekend we have already seen blackouts in parts of Gaza, affecting both homes and hospitals. Closing the crossings will also result in shortages of food, medical and relief items," said the commissioner.
"I have made clear that I am against this collective punishment of the people of Gaza," she said, urging the Israeli authorities to "restart fuel supplies and open the crossings for the passage of humanitarian and commercial supplies".
"Neither the blockade nor the recent military strikes are able to prevent the rocket attacks. Only a credible political agreement this year, as foreseen at Annapolis, can turn Palestinians away from violence," she concluded.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed to restart peace talks, frozen during seven years of violence, at a U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace conference in the U.S. city of Annapolis in Maryland in November last year.
Source: Xinhua
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