GAZA: FUEL AND FOOD UPDATE, 4/30

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 000737 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR GOLDBERGER/SHAMPAINE/SACHAR; PRM FOR PRM/ANE; NSC FOR ABRAMS/PASCUAL; TREASURY FOR CONNOLLY; PLEASE PASS TO USAID FOR KUNDER/MCCLOUD/BORODIN E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/16 TAGS: ECON EAGR KWBG PHUM IS SUBJECT: GAZA: FUEL AND FOOD UPDATE, 4/30 REF: A. JERUSALEM 702 ¶B. JERUSALEM 714 Classified By: Consul General Jake Walles, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Sufa crossing was open on April 28-30 to roughly 50 trucks/day of humanitarian and food shipments, while Kerem Shalom crossing has been closed since April 17. Nahal Oz fuel transfer station has been closed to diesel and gasoline shipments since April 10. The Gaza power plant reported that it would run out of fuel on May 1 if no additional industrial fuel shipments are made. The fuel storage facilities on the Gaza side of Nahal Oz are empty, following the transfer of that fuel to a private sector storage facility in Northern Gaza on April 29-30. Due to a lack of fuel, water authorities in Gaza warn of increased levels of sewage flow into the sea and reduced hours of water from the mains. End summary. Sufa crossing open, while power plant has just one day of fuel remaining... -------------- ¶2. (C) Sufa crossing was open April 28-30 to an estimated 50 trucks/day of humanitarian and commercial food shipments, according to Gaza NGO contacts. Kerem Shalom crossing has been closed since April 17. Nahal Oz fuel transfer station was closed on April 30. Palestinian Petroleum Agency director Mujahid Salama said that 220,000 liters of power plant fuel - along with 150 tons of cooking gas - were delivered via Nahal Oz on April 29. He confirmed that no diesel or gasoline has been shipped to Nahal Oz since April ¶10. Gaza power plant manager Rafiq Maliha told Econoff on April 30 that plant output is 40-45 MW, and that the plant has enough industrial fuel to operate until the afternoon of May 1. ¶3. (SBU) Gaza contacts underscored that there are fewer vehicles on the road each day, as most cities now "resemble ghost towns." Fewer people are reporting to work. Contacts said that fuel smuggled through the tunnels from Egypt sells for USD 30-40/gallon. Other contacts have noted shortages of certain foods and cigarettes in Gaza markets. Hamas spurs the removal of fuel from Nahal Oz -------------- ¶4. (C) Majahid Salama said that on April 28-29 Hamas gunmen removed an estimated 140,000 liters of diesel and 42,000 liters of gasoline from the storage facilities on the Gaza side of Nahal Oz - five tanker trucks full. (Note: Since the April 5, the Gaza Fuel Distribution Union has declared a work stoppage and kept in storage 900,000 liters of diesel and 180,000 liters of gasoline on the Gaza side of Nahal Oz. End note.) Gaza-based OCHA and WHO contacts said that Hamas had requested the fuel from the GFDU on April 28, and, following the GFDU's reported refusal to do so, armed Hamas men took five tanker trucks from the Gaza airport, drove to Nahal Oz, and loaded the trucks with fuel. ¶5. (C) GFDU Vice Chairman Mahmoud Khozendar told Econoff on April 30 that his union, following Hamas' forced fuel pick-up, agreed to transfer the remaining fuel to the union's storage facility in Northern Gaza, making Nahal Oz open to additional diesel and gasoline shipments. Khozendar said that Hamas returned the five trucks of fuel it had taken, unloading the fuel into the GFDU's Northern Gaza storage facilities on April 29. Comment: Gaza-based NGOs had worked to convince the GFDU to remove the stored fuel from the Gaza side of Nahal Oz since April 12, as it prevented additional diesel and gasoline shipments from the Israeli side. It seems that Hamas' actions on April 28 forced the hand of the GFDU. End comment. Fuel crunch limits access to running water and causes increased sewage flow to the sea -------------- ¶6. (C) Gaza Coastal Municipalities Water Authority engineer Mahar Najjar told Econoff on April 30 that 130 of Gaza's 140 municipal water pumping stations are without fuel and fully dependent on the 16-20 hours/day of electricity from the grid, resulting in 80 percent of Gaza residences receiving water from the mains just 2-4 hours each day. He said that 20 of the 37 sewage pumping stations are without fuel and operate only when powered by the grid, spurring rising levels JERUSALEM 00000737 002 OF 002 of sewage flow into the sea - measured on April 30 at 60,000 cubic meters/day, according to Najjar. WALLES